IR469 Half Unit
Politics of Money in the World Economy
This information is for the 2015/16 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Jeffrey Chwieroth CLM 5.11
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in International Affairs (LSE and Peking University), MSc in International Political Economy, MSc in International Political Economy (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in International Political Economy (Research), MSc in Management, MSc in Management (CEMS MIM) and MSc in Political Science and Political Economy. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
All students are required to obtain permission from the Teacher Responsible by completing the Student Statement box on the online application form linked to course selection on LSE for You. Admission is not guaranteed.
Course content
This course is designed as a component of the study of a global system in which the management and mismanagement of money and finance are matters of fundamental consequence for international relations. It is intended to be of particular relevance to students specialising in international political economy. This is a course in applied international political economy theory. It deals with the basic concepts regarding the creation, use and management of money and finance in the global system. Students are then introduced to the political foundations of international monetary governance. Issues covered include the use of national currencies as international money, the politics of exchange rate adjustment, the operations of banks and
other institutions in international money and capital markets, the evolution of global financial markets, the relationship between states and markets in the arena of global finance, international monetary cooperation, and the choices of monetary and financial policies open to developed and developing countries. The course emphasises that contemporary issues, such as international financial crises, international financial regulation and the politics of IMF conditionality, are best understood in a broader theoretical and analytical context.
Teaching
10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the MT.
One lecture course (IR469.1) and one seminar course (IR469.2). Lectures begin in the first week of MT. Seminars begin in the first week of the MT. A series of 10 additional lectures (held in MT) are given as part of IR469.1, Introducing Concepts in Monetary Theory and International Monetary Economics. Students intending to take the course are expected to attend these lectures unless they already have a strong background in monetary economics. An ‘Examination Techniques and Preparation’ lecture will be held in week 2 of ST as part of the IR450 lecture series. Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the MT.
Students are expected to make presentations on topics of their choice and to write one 2,000-word essays, to be marked by the seminar teacher.
Indicative reading
No one book covers the entire syllabus, but the following general works provide a useful introduction: B Eichengreen, Globalizing Capital (2008); A Walter and G Sen, Analyzing the Global Political Economy (2009); R Gilpin, The Political Economy of International Relations (1987), Chapters 4 & 8; S Strange, Mad Money (1998); J Frieden & D Lake, International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power and Wealth, section IIIC; T. Porter, Globalization and Finance (2005); D Andrews (ed), International Monetary Power (2006).
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
There is a two-hour formal examination in the ST based on the lecture course and work covered in the seminars. The paper contains about 10 questions, of which three are to be answered.
Key facts
Department: International Relations
Total students 2014/15: Unavailable
Average class size 2014/15: Unavailable
Controlled access 2014/15: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Leadership
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Communication