POLS212-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025

Global and International Political Economy

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2025
End Date: Sunday, 9 November 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 28 September 2025

Description

This course examines the politics of global economic relations. It will focus on issues of international trade, the international monetary system, and foreign investment-and the relationship of each to both domestic and international politics. Among the specific topics to be discussed are: trade and protectionism, the role and performance of global institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and WTO, the significance of multinational corporations, efforts at regional economic integration such as the EU and NAFTA, the relationship of the world economy to the economic development of poor countries, the emergence of new economic players such as China and India, and the relationship between economic strength and political power.

In this course we will examine the role of economics in the modern global political system. This involves understanding the modern financial institutions of the postwar world and how they have developed over time. We will look at three major theories that try to explain how this system works: the liberal, neo-mercantilist, and structuralist perspectives. We also examine the system from the perspective of the globally powerful nations as well as from the viewpoint of developing nations.  Finally, we will look at some of the major problems that the system currently faces such as integration and the indebtedness of the developing world.

Class format:
This class will be conducted in a lecture-seminar/discussion format and there is no tutorials for this course.  Students will be expected to attend each class.  Attendance of seminar days will be recorded.

Prerequisites

Any 15 points at 100 level from POLS, or
any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or
LAWS, GEOG, or
the Schedule V of the BCom.

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 15:00 - 17:00 Ernest Rutherford 140
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 11:00 - 12:00 Ernest Rutherford 465
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct

Contact Person

Alex Tan

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Reading summary 10% Students will be assigned one of the weekly readings to summarize
Informed participation/class attendance 10%
Reading Quizzes 10% The first quiz will be on August 5 and the second quiz will be on October 7. Each quiz will be worth 5% for a total of 10% of your final course grade.
Midterm Test 19 Aug 2025 30%
Final Exam 14 Oct 2025 40%

Textbooks / Resources

Text/Course Reading Material:
David N. Balaam and Bradford Dillman. 2019. Introduction to International Political Economy (7th ed.). Essex, UK: Pearson.

NOTE:  The student is responsible to get hold of a copy of the textbook.  Other readings will be available through LEARN.

LEARN is your main first point of contact for the course.  It contains a copy of the course outline and relevant information about the course.  I will make an effort to put material from the course reader on LEARN, in addition to a series of required and optional readings.  As this a lecture-seminar class, no lecture notes and/or lecture video recording are posted on the class LEARN site.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $894.00

International fee $4,100.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All POLS212 Occurrences

  • POLS212-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025