Introduction and Key Module Information

Announcements

Recommended Films

Media Resources

Guides, Textbooks and Recommended Journals

Assessed Essay Assignment (AS1) Information and Submission Point

Core Details for Assessed Essay (AS1)_Politics of the World Economy_2024-25

Assignment 1 (AS1) 2024/25

Marking Rubric for Department of Politics and International Studies 2024-25

Essay Writing Guide_PDF

Exam Assessment Information

Lecture_Revision and Exam Strategy_Slides

SOAS Exam Strategies Guide

Mock Exam Questions_Politics of the World Economy_2024_25_PDF

153400083_Politics of the World Economy_A20/21_Examination by Essay (Note Covid Exceptional Exam Rubric)_PDF

153400083_Politics of the World Economy_A21/22_May-June_PDF (Note small differences on topics compared to 2024-25)

153400083_Politics of the World Economy_A22/23_May/June_PDF

POL-153400083-A24/25-Politics of the World Economy-May24/25

POL-August25-Politics of the World Economy-153400083-A24/25

Readings

Essay Writing Guide_2022-23_Eagleton-Pierce_PDF

SOAS Marking Criteria

SOAS Exam Strategies Guide

1. INTRODUCTION: CAPITALISM 101

Lecture 1_Introduction_Capitalism 101_Slides

1. Stanford, J., ‘Why Study Economics?’ in Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism (London: Pluto Press, 2015), 1-12.

2. O’Connor, S., ‘Amazon Unpacked’, Financial Times, February 8th 2013; and O’Connor, S., ‘How Did a Vast Amazon Warehouse Change Life in a Former Mining Town?’, Financial Times, March 17th 2022.

3. Richardson, B., ‘Sugar’, International Political Economy of Everyday Life

Helpful entries in Neoliberalism: The Key Concepts: capitalism, finance, market, state.

Next Steps

Recommended Readings

Video 1: Ha-Joon Chang, 'Economics is for Everyone', RSA Animate (2016)

Video 2: Inside Job (2010), full documentary film (1hr48min).

2. THE LIBERAL TRADITION

Lecture 2_The Liberal Tradition_Slides

1. van de Haar, E., ‘Free Trade Does Not Foster Peace’, Economic Affairs, 40 (2020), 2, 281-286; and Murphy, J., ‘In Defence of Liberal Peace/ A Response to Edwin van de Haar’, Economic Affairs, 40 (2020), 3, 460-463.

2. Eagleton-Pierce, M., 'Historicising the Neoliberal Spirit of Capitalism', in Springer, S., Birch, K., and MacLeavy., J. (eds), The Routledge Handbook of Neoliberalism (Abingdon_Routledge, 2016).

3. Watch: Renata Salecl, ‘The Paradox of Choice’ (London: Royal Society of Arts, 2011, 10:43)

Helpful entries in Neoliberalism: The Key Concepts: Introduction, capitalism, competition, freedom, market, state.

Next Steps

Recommended Readings

Video 1: Political Theory: Adam Smith (The School of Life) (2014).

Video 2: Requiem For The American Dream (2015).

Tutorial 1 Slides - Introduction

3. CRITICAL APPROACHES: CLASS, GENDER, RACE

Lecture 3_Critical Approaches_Class Gender and Race_Slides

1. Hobden, S. and Jones, R. W., 'Marxist Theories of International Relations', in Baylis, J., Smith, S., and Owens, P. (eds), The Globalization of World Politics_An Introduction to International Relations (Oxford_Oxford University Press, 2021).

2. Peterson, V. S., ‘Problematic Premises/ Positivism, Modernism and Masculinism in IPE’, in Elias, J. and Roberts, A. (eds), Handbook on the International Political Economy of Gender (Cheltenham_Edward Elgar, 2018).

3. Jenkins, D. and Leroy, J., ‘Introduction: The Old History of Capitalism’, in Jenkins, D. and Leroy, J. (eds), Histories of Racial Capitalism (New York: Columbia University Press, 2021).

Helpful entries in Neoliberalism: The Key Concepts: choice, diversity, freedom, power.

Next Steps

Recommended Readings

Video 1: Marx: Genius of the Modern World (2016), BBC Four documentary written and presented by Bettany Hughes.

Video 2: John A. Powell, ‘Why Economic Analysis Can’t Ignore Racial Categories’ (2016).

Tutorial 2 Slides - The Liberal Tradition

4. ANYONE GOT A SPARE PLANET? THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Lecture 4_Anyone Got A Spare Planet?_The Political Economy of Climate Change_Slides

1. Gills, B. and Morgan, J., 'Global Climate Emergency- After COP24, Climate Science, Urgency, and the Threat to Humanity', Globalizations, Published online 24 Sep 2019.

2. Paterson, M. and P‐Laberge, X., 'Political Economies of Climate Change', Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 9 (2018), e506, 1-16.

3. Gunderson, R., Stuart, D., and Petersen, B., ‘The Political Economy of Geoengineering as Plan B- Technological Rationality, Moral Hazard, and New Technology’, New Political Economy, 24 (2019), 5, 696-715.

Helpful entries in Neoliberalism: The Key Concepts: environment, responsibility.

Next Steps

Recommended Readings

Video 1: The Economist, How to Keep Cool While the World Gets Hotter (2021)

Video 2: The Economist, Could Solar Geoengineering Counter Global Warming? (2019).

Tutorial 3 Slides - Critical Approaches

5. MANIAS, CRASHES, AND SUPER PROFITS: THE WORLD OF FINANCE

Lecture 5_Manias, Crashes, and Super Profits_The World of Finance_Slides

1. Payne, R. J., 'The Global Financial Crisis', in Global Issues: Politics, Economics, Culture (London_Pearson, 2016).

2. Harvey, D., ‘The Enigma of Capital and the Crisis This Time’, in Calhoun, C. and Derluguian, G., Business As Usual: The Roots of the Global Financial Meltdown (New York: New York University Press, 2013).

3. Griffin P., ‘Gendering Global Finance: Crisis, Masculinity, and Responsibility’, Men and Masculinities, 16 (2013), 1, 9-34.

Helpful entries in Neoliberalism: The Key Concepts: finance, investment, risk.

Next Steps

Recommended Readings

Video 1: Jonathan Jarvis, ‘The Crisis of Credit: Visualized’ (2013).

Video 2: ‘Meltdown’, Al Jazeera four-part investigation documentary (2011).

Tutorial 4 Slides - Anyone Got a Spare Planet?

6. WHO MADE MY BREAKFAST? THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF WORLD TRADE

Lecture 6_Who Made My Breakfast? The Political Economy of World Trade_Slides

1. Hopewell, K., 'Different Paths to Power_The Rise of Brazil, India and China at the World Trade Organization', Review of International Political Economy, 22 (2014), 2, 311-338.

1. Verdegem, P., 'Dismantling AI Capitalism: The Commons as an Alternative to the Power Concentration of Big Tech', AI & Society, 39 (2024), 727-737.

2. Deranty, J-P. and Corbin, T., 'Artificial Intelligence and Work: A Critical Review of Recent Research from the Social Sciences', AI & Society, 39 (2024), 675-691.