Seminar Theories of International Political Economy

In this module, we will start from the question why need theories and concepts if we want to analyse the social world. In the process, we will explore two conceptual distinctions and their significance for the research process: ontology vs. epistemology (what exists in the social world vs. what we can know about it), as well as structure vs. agency (the systemic preconditions of social action vs. the capacity of actors to actively shape the social world). Against this backdrop, we will discuss the different theoretical traditions that have informed the emergence of International Political Economy (IPE) as a research field. We will start from three paradigmatic accounts of global capitalism from the 19th century (Ricardo, List, and Marx) that have been highly influential in shaping the three dominant political traditions dominating IPE: liberalism, protectionism and socialism. After that, we will look at 20th century interventions (Gramsci, Polanyi, Poulantzas, and Foucault) that are also important for contemporary debates in IPE; and key theoretical interventions (Ruggie, Cox, and Peterson) that have led to the formation of IPE as a distinct research field in the social sciences. We will end the class by looking at the three philosophies currently dominating the social sciences (rational choice, post-structuralism, and critical realism), and how they are informing contemporary IPE. FB 05 Gesellschaftswissenschaften Uni Kassel SoSe 2014 Global Political Economy Dr. Gallas Alexander