POL372H1F L0101
Political Economy of Germany and the EU
Themes
The goal of this course is to explore the structure of the German political economy in the context of EU integration and economic globalization. This includes providing an understanding of the economic and political system (and its regional manifestations), which was once viewed as a successful socially-balanced alternative to the market-liberal structures in Anglo-Saxon economies. Drawing upon the varieties-of-capitalism approach, the main themes in the course address the institutional conditions for growth. In a comparative perspective, the course explores topics, such as the role of collective agents, corporate governance and finance, collective bargaining, inter-firm co-operation and regional networks, social security systems, and population structure and immigration. In order to understand the heterogeneous challenges of the “German model”, the conditions are explored under which regional economies develop. This includes the analysis of the reunification process, and of the economic and political situation in the new Länder. Further, the question is raised as to how the “German model” can adapt to challenges due to globalization and economic crises.
Texts
Course reader.
Format and Requirements
One two-hour lecture per week. The course work consists of a research paper and proposal, and a final exam.
Prerequisites
1.0 POL credit