FALL 2007


State, Market and Society

Understanding the interactions that take place as people seek to govern themselves and order their environment to survive and flourish has long been of interest to scholars and the general public alike. The coalescence of individuals into civil society, the emergence of states and other organs of governance, and the evolution of markets and other structures through which we regulate the distribution of goods and services and provide for our needs and wants all have been crucial determinants of how we live our lives. How do individuals organise their society to provide for their wants and needs? Do economic relationships define society? What is the role of the state in structuring and regulating markets? What should it be? Is there a natural progression of stages of economic development in a society? What, if any, is the relationship between social class, politics, and managing the economy? How is the identity of individuals, societies, and states constituted? After beginning by considering the nature and purpose of theory in international political economy, the course will survey major theoretical approaches from classical political economy (Adam Smith, Ricardo, List, Marx, Lenin) to 20th century critics of market society (Gramsci, Polanyi), neorealism (Gilpin), neoliberalism (Krasner), World Systems Theory (Wallerstein), structural realism (Strange), post-positivism (Harvey, Steve Smith) and social constructivism. As they reflect on different scholarly traditions, students will be encouraged to develop their own theoretical stance and apply it to issues of contemporary relevance.

Towards Collective Security

What is security? Who benefits from security? How do governments, firms, and other civil society organizations cooperate to provide for their security? The course explores the political economy of alliances for security and defense. We shall examine some historical examples of defensive alliances (the Holy Alliance, the Concert of Europe) and investigate the implications of a transition from defensive alliance to collective security. Why did the League of Nations fail as a collective security organization? Has the UN succeeded? In particular, we shall study the case of NATO as a defensive alliance and the prospects for its transformation into a collective security body in the contemporary period.