Ap­plied In­ter­na­tion­al Polit­ic­al Eco­nomy

Course content

This course examines the relations between business, political institutions and non-governmental organizations – and how they shape the governance of international business. It is an advanced and specialized course that focuses on the research frontiers in selected topics within International Political Economy, with an emphasis on transnational dimensions and interactions. The course covers a selection of key theoretical debates and their research-based empirical applications – in view of providing the tools for a nuanced understanding of real-world challenges and their possible solutions.

The course focuses on two main themes:

• The transnational governance of international business, with particular attention to the functioning of global value chains and global wealth chains;
• How international regimes and organizations seek to govern and impact international business, with particular focus on sustainability issues and finance.

The purpose of the course is to provide an in-depth understanding of theoretical and empirical debates and research results in these topics, and a solid foundation for engaging in independent research projects in the field of International Political Economy.

In relation to Nordic Nine

The Applied International Political Economy course incorporates most of the Nordic Nine. By examining how firms operate in the global economy through multiple theoretical approaches, concrete industry cases, and incorporating a non-Eurocentric perspective, the course addresses NN1, NN2, NN6 and NN8. Through examining the drivers of the global green transition, including government regulations, innovation and the predominant role of Asian countries, the course addresses NN3, NN7, and NN4. Through exploring the multiple dimensions of global wealth chains, finance, and taxation (or the lack of it) as well as the geopolitics and security tensions around global competition at the technological frontier, students engage with complex issues that contain ambiguity and ethical dilemmas (NN2, NN5).