Curs 2015-2016

GLOBALIZATION AND POLITICS (21714)

 

 

1. Dades de l'assignatura / Course details

 

Assignatura: Política i Globalització / Globalization and Politics

Codi de l'assignatura: 21714

Estudis: Grau en Ciències Polítiques i de l'Administració

Nombre de Crèdits: 4 crèdits ECTS (100 hores de dedicació)

Trimestre: 3er

Llengua de Docència: Anglès / English

Professor: Dr. Abel Escribà i Folch

 

 

2. Presentació de l'assignatura / Outline of the course

 

Globalization is generally understood as the reduction in the barriers to and the intensification of the exchange of economic, political, and cultural relations across world countries and regions. However, the term still generates confusion and there are diverging ideas about its content and meaning. Further, the consequences and implications of globalization are pervasive not only in media discussions but also in policy debates and academic research.

In this course, the different aspects and dimensions of globalization (both economic and political) will be presented, analyzed and discussed. The course is aimed at providing the students with the conceptual and analytical tools necessary to comprehend the different 'faces' that globalization has and how they affect domestic politics and political decisions.

In particular, the course will explore and expand the understating of the four main dimensions of globalization. First, we will deal with the most known dimension of globalization, the economic one, and discuss the domestic economic, social, and political implications and consequences of international trade and financial liberalization. We will also discuss the attempts to globalize development and reduce poverty by critically analyzing the main instrument used to do so, foreign aid. Second, we will turn to explore the political side of globalization paying attention to the diffusion and promotion of democracy around the globe and to the instruments of foreign pressure democracies may use. In the third part of the course we will analyze the extension of the human rights system and the creation of the ICC, and will discuss the potential practical consequences on human rights violations and other governments' domestic responses. Finally, in the last section the impact of globalization on civil and interstate conflict will be discussed.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Competències a assolir / Competences-skills

 

This course is part of the optional courses itinerary "international" that together, develops the following competencies:

 

BASIC SKILLS:

CB2. That students can apply their knowledge to their job or vocation in a professional manner and have competences typically demonstrated through devising and sustaining arguments and solving problems within their field of study.

CB3. That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) to inform judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical.

CB4. That students can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

CB5. That students have developed those skills needed to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.

 

GENERAL SKILLS:

CG1. Capacity for analysis and synthesis.

CG3. Knowledge of a second language.

CG5. Teamwork.

CG9. Ability to work in an international context.

CG11. Ability to adapt to new situations.

 

TRANSVERSAL SKILLS:

CT1. Identify and analyze critically gender inequality and its intersection with other axes of inequality.

 

SPECIFIC SKILLS:

EC4. Examine the fundamentals of comparative politics.

CE9. Interpret the historical dimension of political and social processes.

CE12. Interpret the legal framework of the activity carried out by public authorities.

CE13. Interpret the economic environment and the economic dimension of the public sector.

CE15. Analyze international politics.

CE16. Analyze the structure and functioning of the European Union.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Continguts / Contents

 

Bloc de Contingut 1: Understanding Globalization

-       The concept of 'globalization'

-       Is globalization new? Historical perspectives and evolution

-       The dimensions of globalization

 

Bloc de Contingut 2: The Globalization of Trade

-       The economic theory of trade integration

-       The distributional consequences of trade: inequality and power

-       Trade and the poor countries

-       The political consequences of trade: efficiency vs. compensation

-       The logic of protectionism

-       The logic behind trade liberalization and he World Trade Organization

 

Bloc de Contingut 3: The Globalization of Financial Flows

-       The logic of financial globalization: expected benefits of liberalization

-       Exchange-rate policies: political and economic dimensions

-       Eroding State-capacity? Financial globalization and domestic policy: The Policy Trilemma

-       Financial crises

-       Multinational corporations: motivations and consequences for host countries

 

Bloc de Contingut 4: The Globalization of Development

-       World development patterns: divergence or convergence?

-       The political economy of aid: the donors. Who gives aid and why?

-       The political economy of aid: the recipients. Africa's aid dependency and its political consequences

 

Bloc de Contingut 5: The Globalization of Democracy

-       The diffusion and promotion of democracy

-       Democracy assistance

-       The instruments of international pressure: conditional aid, sanctions, shaming campaigns, and military interventions. Do they work?

-       The effectiveness of hard politics: Can third-countries destabilize dictatorships?

 

Bloc de Contingut 6: The Globalization of Human Rights and Justice

-       The international human rights regime

-       Human rights treaties and enforcement

-       Globalizing justice? The International Criminal Court

-       The political consequences of globalizing justice: More justice or more brutal and longer-lasting dictators?

 

Bloc de Contingut 7: The Globalization of Peace (or War?)

-       The links between economic globalization and conflict: the mechanisms

-       State failure and its causes

-       The impact of integration on the occurrence of civil war. Global warming and war

-       The causes of interstate conflict. Does globalization foster peace?

 

5. Seminaris / Seminars

 

Besides the lectures, this course includes three seminar sessions as well. In them, the students are expected to discuss, debate, and analyze some implication, case study or controversy concerning some of the topics analyzed in class.

In particular, the seminar sessions will take the form of debates, video-forums, discussions, and simulation exercises. Seminars will include individual and group activities. Readings and other resources will be made available to the students in the course's Aula Global. These resources will include: documentaries, reports by international organizations, governments and NGOs, newspaper articles, and academic articles and book chapters.

 

There will be three seminars, which will deal with the following topics:

 

A.    Seminar 1: "Fair Trade vs. Free Trade: The pros and cons of Fair Trade and the TTIP"

In this seminar, after watching a documentary on the topic, we will discuss the characteristics of the fair trade movement and initiative. Fair trade aims at helping producers of agricultural products in developing countries by ensuring higher prices, better working conditions and investments. However, there is considerable criticism of the claims made by the Fair Trade advocates and proponents. We will discuss and analyze the following questions using different readings and other resources (documentary): Is fair trade really fair? If not, what are its main problems or inconsistencies? Is free trade better than fair trade? Further, we will also discuss the other side of the story and critically analyze the arguments in favor of free trade as applied to the TTIP, the free trade agreement between the EU and the EUA. What are the benefits and potential costs of such agreements? What redistributive consequences may it have?

 

B.    Seminar 2: "Fighting Underdevelopment by Empowering the Poor and Women? Foreign aid and microfinance"

In this seminar we will critically analyze the different existing alternatives aimed at reducing world poverty and promoting development. In particular, after having discussed the potential problems of development aid in class, we will take a closer look at some alternatives including microfinance and the role of local civil society in development. Microfinance has been argued to reduce poverty and empower women, while the implication of local civil society provides aid with local knowledge and reduces state involvement. Thus, we will discuss the potential benefits of these "new" strategies. What are the best strategies to promote development and reduce poverty? Are microcredits a good way of giving resources empowering women and poor people?   

 

C.    Seminar 3: "Promoting Democracy and Human Rights: Sanctions and military intervention against repressive States?"

In this seminar we will simulate a meeting of the UN Security Council aimed at discussing a potential military intervention and the adoption of sanctions (or other strategies) against one repressive dictatorship (North Korea or Syria, for example). Students (organized in groups) will thus discuss the strategies to put pressure and even coerce dictatorships and their potential impact. Can democracies coerce dictatorships and help protecting human rights? Are military pro-democratic and humanitarian interventions legal and/or legitimate? Do they help target States? Do they really promote democracy or help peace-building? Are economic sanctions effective in making regimes concede? What other strategies can be used to promote democracy?

 

 

 

6. Avaluació / Assessment

 

Students' grade will be based on two basic assignments:

 

The first one is based on the seminar sessions which account for 45% of the final grade. This grade will be based on the students' active participation in the discussions held during the seminars and on three short essays (one for each seminar). Attendance to the seminar sessions is compulsory. Those not showing up and not having a (written) justification will get a zero in that seminar.   

 

Secondly, there will be a final exam. The exam accounts for the other 55% of the final grade. In the exam, students will be asked to write some short and one (longer) essay response to a series of questions covering the topics of the course.

 

Retest: Those failing the seminar part of the course will be required to hand a review essay in July. Those who fail the exam will be required to take another exam in July. Only those who have attended and handed the assignments of (at least) two of the seminars and have taken the exam will be able to retest to pass the course in July.

 

 

 

7. Metodologia/ Methodology

 

This course combines lectures with seminars. During the lectures the professor will present and discuss the topics to be developed, but also participation will be encouraged through questions and open discussions with students. There are readings assigned for each lecture. Those readings may consist of newspapers articles, papers and academic or journalistic debates about the topic to be discussed in class. In all cases, students are expected to come to class having read the readings and prepared to discuss them. Readings will be made available in the course's Aula Global. In the seminars, the students will have open debates using the materials and resources assigned. After the seminar, students are expected to write a short essay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Bibliografia i recursos didàctics / Bibliography and other resources

 

-       Some basic books:

 

Campbell, Patricia J., Aran McKinnon, and Christy R: Stevens. 2010. An Introduction to Global Studies. Wiley-Blackwell. 

 

Ritzer, George. 2010. Globalization: A Basic Text. Wiley-Blackwell.

 

Woods, Ngaire. 2000. The Political Economy of Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan.

 

David Held, Anthony McGrew; David Goldblatt y Jonathan Perraton. 1999. Global Transformations. Politics, Economics and Culture. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

 

Lechner, Franck J. and John Boli (eds.). 2003. The Globalization Reader. Boston: Blackwell. 

 

Oatley, Thomas. 2006. International Political Economy: Interests and Institutions in the Global Economy. New York: Pearson-Longman. [I recommend the 2012 5^th edition]

 

Keohane, Robert O. and Helen V. Milner. 1996. Internationalization and Domestic Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

 

Frieden, Jeffry A. and David A. Lake. 2000. International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Wealth and Power. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

 

Krugman, Paul R., Maurice Obstfeld and Marc J. Melitz. 2012. International Economics: Theory and Policy. Pearson.

 

-       Further recommendations:

 

Stiglitz, Joseph. 2002. Globalization and Its Discontents. New York: Norton.

 

Rodrik, Dani. 1997. Has Globalization Gone Too Far?. Washington, DC: Institute for International Economics.

 

Rodrik, Dani. 2011. The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy. New York: W.W. Norton.   

 

Hafner-Burton, Emily. 2013. Making Human Rights a Reality. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

 

Escribà-Folch, Abel and Joseph Wright. 2015. Foreign Pressure and the Politics of Autocratic Survival. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 

Sikkink, Kathryn. 2011. The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions Are Changing World Politics. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

 

Lutz, Ellen L., and Reiger, Caitlin (eds.). 2008. Prosecuting Heads of State. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

 

Easterly, William. 2001. The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.

 

Easterly, William. 2006. The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. New York: Penguin Press.

 

Collier, Paul. 2007. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 

Collier, Paul. 2009. Wars, Guns, and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places. New York: Harper Collins.

 

Kaldor, Mary. 2012. New and Old Wars: Organized Violence in a Global Era. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

 

Carey, Sabine C., Mark Gibney, and Steven C. Poe. 2010. The Politics of Human Rights: The Quest for Dignity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

 

McLaughlin Mitchell, Sara and John A. Vasquez. 2014. Conflict, War, and Peace: An Introduction to Scientific Research. London: SAGE/CQ Press.

 

 

-       Data and other resources:

 

World Bank: World Development Indicators (WDI) and poverty data:

            http://databank.worldbank.org/ddp/home.do?Step=12&id=4&CNO=2

            http://povertydata.worldbank.org/poverty/home

 

IMF data:

            http://www.imf.org/external/data.htm

 

OECD statistics:

            http://stats.oecd.org/

 

WTO trade and tariffs statistics:

            http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/statis_e.htm

 

Data on financial openness (Chinn & Ito Index)

            http://web.pdx.edu/~ito/Chinn-Ito_website.htm

            http://web.pdx.edu/~ito/trilemma_indexes.htm

 

Economic sanctions episodes:

            http://www.piie.com/research/topics/sanctions/sanctions-timeline.cfm

 

Foreign aid statistics:

OECD: http://www.oecd.org/document/49/0,3746,en_2649_34447_46582641_1_1_1_1,00.html

            World Bank's World Development Indicators:

http://databank.worldbank.org/ddp/home.do?Step=12&id=4&CNO=2

 

UN peace operations:

            http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/

 

Uppsala Conflict Data Program

            http://www.pcr.uu.se/research/UCDP/

 

CIRI Human Rights data project

            http://ciri.binghamton.edu/

 

-   News, op-ed articles, blog posts, and other information:

 

The Economist: http://www.economist.com/

Foreign Affairs: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/

Foreign Policy: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/

Global Research: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=home

Mapping Globalization: https://qed.princeton.edu/index.php/MG

Yale Center for the Study of Globalization: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

9. Programació d'activitats / Weekly schedule

 

 

Week	In-class activities	Out-of-class activities	In class hours	Out-of-class hours
Week 1	Lecture	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 2	Lecture	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 3	Lecture	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 4	Seminar 1	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 5	Lecture	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 6	Seminar 2	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 7	Lecture	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 8	Lecture	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 9	Seminar 3	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Week 10	Lecture	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Hours			30	60
Study hours for final exam				10
Total hours			100