История экономических учений

Бакалавриат 2019/2020

Статус: Курс по выбору (Программа двух дипломов НИУ ВШЭ и Лондонского университета по международным отношениям)

Направление: 41.03.05. Международные отношения

Кто читает: Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики

Где читается: Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики

Когда читается: 2-й курс, 2 модуль

Формат изучения: без онлайн-курса

Преподаватели: Мельник Денис Валерьевич

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 3

Контактные часы: 28

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The main aim of the course is to outline the development of economic thought as an element influencing international relations. For a larger part of the written history of humankind, it was a common belief that economic welfare was but a byproduct of the might of political system: a sovereign’s ability and will to maintain law and order. When the functioning of the market system came into notice at all, it was regarded with suspicion: as a threat rather than an opportunity to a commonwealth. Only by the turn of the 19th century, with Adam Smith and other exponents of economic liberalism, the focus had been changed radically: the might of the state and welfare of its citizens became the function of economic performance of the market system based upon the unhinged self-interest. Even the very title of Smith’s book — An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations — should have informed the reader that economic development was the natural target for each nation to set up and to achieve. Economic liberalism’s claim to dominance in policy-making was based upon a set of economic theories, like the quantitative theory of money, the theory of international trade, etc. However, it did not remain unchallenged: pragmatic concerns made many national governments to deviate from the pure free-trade creed; its theoretical foundations became a subject for criticism. By the turn of the 20th century, economic liberalism and economic nationalism were two competitive agendas for economic policy on the world stage. The first half of the 20th century saw the incredible rise of the government interference in economy, regardless ideological differences. One of the facets of the process was the strive to develop and protect a nation’s own industrial system, contrary to the policies prescribed by the standard economics. The Keynesian revolution and the post-WW2 global ideological division put economic development and structural changes into the focus of many political and theoretical debates. By the end of the century, among all theoretical contestants of previous decades the standard mainstream economics emerged as the only credible source for the development policy. It has managed to absorb some analytical tools and notions from the competing approaches and to mitigate some initial assumptions, but still follows the original free-trade creed. However, in the 21st century, the globalist and integrationist agenda faced an unexpected backlash worldwide, and there emerged a global trend to political revival of economic nationalism. According to the proponents of the modern economics, this trend is but a temporary aberration, as major policy proposals associated with it contradict to the basics of standard economic textbooks. According to the proponents of the new economic nationalism, politics is not about textbooks. The course provides a concise overview of the major approaches to development issues emerged during last two centuries, to consider their impact on policy-making of the respective periods, and to provide a framework for a better grasp of modern theoretical and political debates over the ways and targets of international development.

Learning Objectives

Introduce students to the main economic doctrines that had impact on international relations during past two centuries
Teach to assess the actions of modern institutions through the prism of past theories and contemporary canon

Expected Learning Outcomes

To get knowledge of the scope of the course and of general requirements to pass it.
To distinguish the conflicting approaches to the regime of connection between national and international markets using the material from the history of economic doctrines.
Students should be able to distinguish to opposing approaches to economic policies on national and international levels.
Students should know the main theoretical propositions of the German historical school and understand its policy implications.
Students should grasp the main trends in changes on of the global economy by 1914 and its influence on developments in economic nationalism and economic liberalism.
To describe the context and factors, which informed the development of the doctrine of imperialism; and know its main theoretical propositions.
Students should get knowledge of the context that contributed rising popularity of the model of closed economy
To be able to distinguish the lasting effects of WWI on the post-war economic trends
To grasp the impact of the Great Depression on economic doctrines and policy-making.
To understand and be able to provide an explanation to the key elements of the Keynesian economic doctrine
To outline the main elements of the doctrine of economic integration
To describe the main propositions of the doctrine of imperialism
To get knowledge on modern reappraisals of the doctrine of imperialism
To single out the effects of the doctrine of imperialism on policy-making, specifically in the first quarter of the 20th century
To understand the origins of the Import-substitution industrialization strategies implemented since the Great Depression
To apprehend the Keynesian roots of of the post-WW2 developmentalist consensus
To discern strengths and weaknesses of the development strategies implemented in the 1950s-70s
To describe the doctrine of peripheral capitalism
To discern the strengths and weaknesses of the ISI-strategies implemented in Latin America since the 1950s
To be able to outline the shift in prevalent approaches to the scope and methods of economic policy since the 1980s
To understand the notion of transition economy
To recognize the main trends in evolution of the theoretical understanding of transition economy since the late 1980s
To be able to compare and evaluate the results of transition policies implemented in different countries
To be able to outline the main propositions of the modern development economics
To discern the influence of the New Institutional Economics on approaches to economic development
To be able to to find, evaluate and use information from various sources, necessary to solve scientific and professional problems
To evaluate the main trends of modern economics and politics; competently lead a debate on them
To present the results of research project in coherent and concise manner
To be able to outline the main trends in global economy at the turn of the 21st century
To evaluate the impact of the Great Recession on economic theory and economic policy
To distinguish the factors behind the new rise of economic nationalism and growing discontent over integration projects

Course Contents

Lecture 1. Introduction to the course
The scope of the course; economic theory and economic policy: the modes of interaction; economic theory and economic policy in the history of economic thought: a brief overview.
Seminar 1. Protectionism and the free trade regime in the history of economic thought
Lecture 3. The change of the global economic order, 1910s – 1940s
Lecture 2. Economic liberalism and economic nationalism in the 19th – early 20th centuries
Seminar 2. The theory of imperialism and its impact
Seminar 3. The theory of imperialism and its impact
Lecture 4. The Golden Age of the developmentalism, 1950s – 1970s
Seminar 4. Import substitution industrialization in Latin America
Lecture 5. The neoliberal consensus, 1980s – 2000s
Seminar 5. Transition economies
Lecture 6. The modern mainstream approach to economic development
Seminar 6. Presentations of course projects–1
Lecture 7. Globalization and its challenges
Seminar 7. Presentations of course projects–2

Assessment Elements

in-class participation
group project
Final exam
class attendance
in-class written answers and mini-essays (prepared individually or in groups)

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (2 module)
0.1 * class attendance + 0.25 * Final exam + 0.25 * group project + 0.2 * in-class participation + 0.2 * in-class written answers and mini-essays (prepared individually or in groups)

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Negishi, T. (2014). Developments of International Trade Theory (Vol. Second enhanced edition). Tokyo: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1073836
Takashi Negishi. (2014). Developments of International Trade Theory. Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.spr.advjbe.978.4.431.54433.3

Recommended Additional Bibliography

The wealth of ideas : a history of economic thought, Roncaglia, A., 2006

Course Syllabus