This module introduces students to the study of international political economy (IPE) and global development. It examines the reciprocal, interactive relationship between politics and economics or between states and markets in the contemporary international system by exploring how political factors influence international economic relations and how the international economy in turn shapes domestic and international politics.

The module introduces the main theoretical approaches in international political economy and global development and illustrates the contributions of these approaches to our understanding of the global political economy.

The module surveys the interactions between state and societal actors at the interface between the domestic and international domains in a variety of issue areas. These include international trade and monetary relations, transnational production, economic development, and global governance. In studying these issues, the module examines the causes and effects of policy choices that states and societal groups make to regulate international economic relations, of international and regional co-operation and conflicts over trade, monetary, development and other policies, and of global market integration.

This module is designed in such a manner that it will provide second-year politics students with an accessible introduction to the basic concepts of political economy and global development and sensitise them to interdisciplinary methods and models in the study of international relations. The module not only provides a comprehensive introduction to international political economy and global development but also serves a foundation course that qualifies students to take further options in the political economy of international trade, monetary relations, financial markets, development, and globalisation.