Political and International Economics

Study Course Description

Course Description Statuss:Approved

Course Description Version:1.00

Study Course Accepted:05.03.2024 16:46:39

Study Course Information
Course Code:		SZF_017		LQF level:		Level 6
Credit Points:		2.00		ECTS:		3.00
Branch of Science:		Politics		Target Audience:		Political Science
Study Course Supervisor
Course Supervisor:		Kārlis Bukovskis
Study Course Implementer
Structural Unit:		Faculty of Social Sciences
The Head of Structural Unit:
Contacts:		Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szfrsu[pnkts]lv
Study Course Planning
Full-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)		8	Lecture Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		16
Classes (count)		7	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		14
Total Contact Hours								30
Study course description
Preliminary Knowledge:
Basic knowledge of the economy and its terms. Intermediate level knowledge in politics science and international relations processes.
Objective:
The aim of the course is to provide a general idea about economic processes and their interaction with political developments, both nationally and internationally.
Topic Layout (Full-Time)
No.	Topic			Type of Implementation		Number	Venue
1	Introduction and course requirements. Economics and Political Economy. Periods of modern capitalism: the Bretton Woods system and neoliberalism.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
2	Basic terms in political economy and economic analysis.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
3	Economic governance: fiscal policy and monetary policy.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
4	Financial history. International monetary systems. Banks and their structural role in economy.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
5	International Trade. World Trade Organization. Regional free trade agreements.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
6	Global governance and actors.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
7	Global economic challenges for societies and countries.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
8	Theories of International Political Economy. Economic liberalism (Neoclassical approach), economic nationalism (Keynesianism approach and Institutionalist approach), economic Marxism.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
9	National economic interests.			Classes		1.00	auditorium
10	Logic of entrepreneurship.			Classes		1.00	auditorium
11	Strongest political actor in the international economy.			Classes		1.00	auditorium
12	Economic problems of Latvia.			Classes		1.00	auditorium
13	The state, entrepreneurs and the workforce: who is the most important?			Classes		2.00	auditorium
14	Exam			Classes		1.00	E-Studies platform
Assessment
Unaided Work:
As part of the course, students will have to read mandatory literature (for each lesson up to 50 pages), write seven short essays on the subject, actively participate during seminars, write a report, and successfully complete the course's final exam. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal.
Assessment Criteria:
Active participation during the seminars and lectures – 40%; Essays and written answers to seminar questions – 20%; Report – 25%; Exam – 15%.
Final Examination (Full-Time):		Exam (Written)
Final Examination (Part-Time):
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:		Within the framework of lectures and seminars, students will have to learn how to understand the correlation between political and economic processes, including global problems, the operation of the banking system, the international financial system, and the economic challenges of Latvia and the European Union.
Skills:		After completing the course students must be able to orient themselves in the basic economic terms and concepts, indicators that characterize economic development, to distinguish the views of different theoretical schools on the principles of economic structures, and to critically evaluate the economic developments in Latvia and in the world.
Competencies:		At the end of the course, the student will be able to understand the specificities and processes of the political economy and globalisation and their impact on people's daily lives.
Bibliography
No.	Reference
Required Reading
1	Visa literatūra ir angļu valodā un piemērota gan latviešu, gan angļu plūsmas studentiem
2	Krugman, P., Wells, R. 2018. Macroeconomics. 5th ed. New York: Worth Publishers, chapters on Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy.
3	Oatley, T. 2019. International Political Economy. 6th ed. New York: Routledge, 279-307.
4	Carreras, A. 2006. The Twentieth Century – From Break with the Past to Prosperity. In An Economic History of Europe. From Expansion to Development, Antonio Di Vittorio, ed. New York: Routledge, 239-353.
5	Braithwaite, J., Drahos, P. 2000. Global Business Regulation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. – pp. 15-36.
6	Banerjee, A., Duflo, E. 2012. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. New York: Public Affairs, ch. 1-2.
7	Stilwell, F. 2019. From Economics to Political Economy: Contradictions, Challenge, and Change, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 78(1), 35-62.
8	Yülek, M. A. 2018. How Nations Succeed. Manufacturing, Trade, Industrial Policy, and Economic Development. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 155-168, 207-216.
9	Cohn, T. 2020. Global Political Economy: Theory and Practice. 8th ed. New York: Routledge, 354-402.
Additional Reading
1	European Commission. 2020 European Semester: Country Specific Recommendation, Commission Recommendation – Latvia.
2	Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia, 2020. 2020 Budget of the Republic of Latvia.