Below is a sample exam for the course. The take home exam is open book and take-home. There is a choice of 4 out of 6 essays; each essay stands on its own; and students are expected to treat these as if they were formal papers i.e. with the expectation of peer review.
You are free to use notes, book as, etc. as long as you provide full references for your key points. This means author, date, and if possible pages (necessary if you use direct quotes). You do not need to spend more than 2 hours per question, not counting the final typing. But you can spend longer if you wish. Please be sure to do an outline for your answers before you begin to write. It is also useful to indicate at the beginning what you plan to do, what you will cover and what you will not.
Please answer 4 questions out of the 6 questions below.
The quality is important, and not the length. As a rough rule, you might consider writing 3-5 pages single space for each question. This is only a general guideline.
- Please write an essay on the role of institutions in economic and politics, and then discuss the role of institutions in the international context.
- The term "globalization" is increasingly being used in the study of international relations and international political economy. Increasingly, also, there are debates surrounding the definition of the term and the extent of relevance in the global economy. Please write an essay on "globalization" and attendant implications for relations among states.
- What is meant by "property rights"? Why are we interested in this issue?
What do properties rights "do" (what is their function) at the national and at the international levels. - Please review ways in which the "sustainability challenge" addresses theories of international political economy. In so doing, please identify the factors (or issues) that you consider most relevant, and contrast the traditional IPE views (and theories with the sustainability critiques).
- What is the role of "knowledge" and of "technology" in the international political economy? Please write an essay taking into account the implications for international political economy in theoretical as well as empirical (or practical) terms.
- What is "international trade"? What are the dominant theoretical arguments "explaining" trade? What are the general ways in trade issues have changed over time? What, if any, is the impact of "environment" on trade?