International political economy in the 21st century : contemporary issues and analyses / Roy Smith, Imad El-Anis and Christopher Farrands.

Roy Smith is Principal Lecturer and Programme Leader for the MA in International Development at Nottingham Trent University, UK.

Imad El-Anis is Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for the MA in International Relations at Nottingham Trent University, UK.

Christopher Farrands is Principal Lecturer in Global Studies at Nottingham Trent University, UK.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction So what is IPE? The global jigsaw Structure of the book 1 The origins and core ideas of international political economy Introduction The sources of IPE IPE as a critique of IR Realist IR and IPE Liberal IPE Marxist IPE Criticising the mainstream IR approaches The practical concerns shaping the evolution of IPE Refinements of the traditional theories Neo-realism Neo-liberalism A neo-neo synthesis? Neo-Marxist theories Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 2 Critical approaches to IPE Introduction Critical theory Constructivism Feminism Postmodernism/poststructuralism Gramscian approaches to IPE Green thought The new institutional economics: networks of power, networks of exchange Regulation theory and IPE Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 3 Business and marketing theories and global business behaviours Introduction Four key basic ideas The global business environment and the different legal environments of business Theories of multinational business behaviour and impacts Regulation and multinational business strategies Private authority and IPE Knowledge as a global commodity International business history and case study analysis Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 4 Globalisation and IPE Introduction The globalisation debate Origins of globalisation Expansion of the European system Globalisation of trade and finance Corporate globalisation Global culture? Media Global environmental degradation Multi-globalisation Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 5 National, international, regional and global governance Introduction The nature of governance International cooperation Actors Issues Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 6 Trade Introduction Liberalism Realism/mercantilism Structuralism The contemporary trade system Rising levels of trade Free trade agreements MNCs and trade Criticisms of trade Trade theory and modelling Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 7 Global finance Introduction Two stories of financial globalisation The core ingredients of global finance The growth of a globalised financial system: a little more history What was the 'international debt crisis' and where did it come from? The financial crisis of the 2000s Global financial institutions The global financial system after the financial crisis Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 8 Development Introduction Liberal modernisation The development problem Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals Major groups Development projects Critical frameworks for rethinking development Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 9 Environment Introduction Actors: governments Actors: multinational corporations Actors: non-governmental organisations Issues: resource depletion Issues: deforestation Issues: biodiversity Issues: reef systems Issues: fisheries Issues: energy security Processes Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 10 Technology in the global political economy Introduction What is technology? Technologies as a principal tool of global economic competition Kondratieff cycles and major innovations Oligopoly competition in high-tech sectors: how multinational firms use technology to compete Technology, work and patterns of global labour Limitations on the role of technology Intellectual property and technology Technology, competition, and mergers and acquisitions Technology and the individual person as subject in IPE Who has technology leadership? Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 11 Culture Introduction Liberal triumphalism Clash of civilisations Anti-globalisation/structuralist and green thought Global culture Resistance to cultural hegemony Non-coercive globalisation Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 12 Security Introduction The development of 'new' security issues Emerging issues Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 13 Migration and labour Introduction Understanding migration Economic migration Technology and migration Labour in the twenty-first century Migration and multiculturalism Human security, human rights and migration Governmental and non-governmental policy responses to migration Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 14 Health Introduction The health transition People's Health Movement (PHM) Determinants of health Health in the developing world Health in the developed world Technology and health Summary Reflective questions Suggestions for further reading 15 Concluding thoughts and remarks

Understanding of the theories that underpin international political economy (IPE), and their practical applications, is crucial to the study of international relations, politics, development and economics.

This is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the field, with an engaging and coherent foundation to the subject. It considers traditional and alternative approaches to IPE, and in doing so elucidates key concepts, assumptions and the intellectual and historical context in which they arose and developed. At all times, it makes clear their relevance to issues from trade, finance and government, to environment, technology, health, labour, security, migration, development and culture. The book encourages independent reflection and critical thinking through a range of in-text guiding features. In addition, each chapter presents theoretical analysis alongside contemporary issues, helping the reader to relate to the real world of IPE and to better understand how theory helps inform interpretation of it.

New to this edition:

comprehensively updated to include key coverage of the post-2015 framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, the financial crisis and international government responses - successful or otherwise - to recent challenges;

fully updated data, reflective questions, recommended readings, concept and example boxes, and illustrations;

new chapters on health, migration and labour;

additional coverage of trade theories and key contemporary issues, such as national versus human security, economic versus human development and illegal networks in global trade.