Dr Covadonga Meseguer

This course is available on the MSc in International Affairs (LSE and Peking University), MSc in International Political Economy, MSc in International Political Economy (Research), MSc in International Relations, MSc in International Relations (Research) and MSc in International Relations Theory. This course is not available as an outside option.

Many of the papers that will be read use statistical methods. Students are expected to at least be able to read and interpret statistical work.

The mobility of workers is one of the pillars of globalization. However and surprisingly, international political economists have paid less attention to the political causes and consequences of international migration in comparison to that paid to other aspects of globalization such as trade or finance. In this course, we shall employ a political economy perspective to study the historical evolution of migration policy, the relationship between trade and migration, and the political causes and consequences of migration flows. I shall place special emphasis on the study of the political consequences of migration for sending (rather than receiving) countries. We shall also pay attention to an important capital flow associated to international migration: remittances. Rather than focusing on the economic/developmental consequences of remittances, we shall discuss how remittances impact political outcomes as diverse as democratization, the survival of dictatorships, political clientelism, corruption, political participation, and political accountability.

10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the MT.

Students are expected to write one book review choosing between the ones below. The review is due in Week 6 (2000 words).
Moses, J.W. 2011. Emigration and Political Development. New York, NJ: Cambridge University Press.
Kapur, D. 2010. Diaspora, Development, and Democracy: The Domestic Impact of International Migration from India. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

1 class presentation.

Readings marked with a (*) are mandatory. Please, use the recommended readings to prepare your presentations.

(*) Rosenblum, M and Tichenor, D (eds). 2012. The Oxford Handbook of the Politics of International Migration. New York: Oxford University Press.
(*) Hatton, T and J. Williamson. 2005. Global Migration and World Economy. Two Centuries of Policy and Performance. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Moses, J.W. 2011. Emigration and Political Development. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kapur, D. 2010. Diaspora, Development, and Democracy: The Domestic Impact of International Migration from India. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Castles, S and M. J. Miller. 2009. The Age of Migration. International Movements in the Modern World. New York: The Guilford Press.

Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.