International Macroeconomics Revisited: Monopolies, Inequalities, and Inter-Country Conflict

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course introduces students to the economic origins of inter-country conflict within the context of International Macroeconomics. Some background knowledge of economics is an advantage but not required. The course allows students to situate national and global inequalities within the frame of global monopolies and inter-country conflict as a contest for global market share. The units of analysis are countries and global monopolies, and students use simple macroeconomic models to derive the key analytical results before taking these to data. Finally, the course introduces students to the big debates relating to global inequality, tax havens, global imbalances and conflict, the rise of China, economic sanctions, and embargoes, among others. On successful completion, students can obtain and analyse data on global income distribution, critically evaluate standard theories of globalisation, and identify and explain the nexus among monopolies, inequalities within and between countries, and global conflict.