MSc Global Economic Governance and Policy (2019 Entry)

Location
United Kingdom, - London
Dates
Dates flexible
Course Type
Postgraduate Course
Accreditation
-
Language
English
Price
$15,635

Course Overview

Overview:

Who is this programme for?

  • Professionals with a strong interest and need in gaining a thorough academic foundation in, and understanding of, current developments in the area of global economic governance.
  • Graduate students from other disciplinary backgrounds wishing to further their understanding of global economic policy issues and debates through systematic academic study.
  • Economics graduate students wishing to specialize in global economic policy and governance.

Prior knowledge of economics is not a requirement:

The MSc Global Economic Governance and Policy is the most recent addition to the Department of Economics' portfolio of masters programme. The programme builds on the department's unique combination of expertise - in policy analysis, regional economics and critical theoretical perspectives - to provide students with an in-depth understanding of core policy debates in the area of global economic governance. Specifically, the programme focuses on:

  • Global economic governance: It offers in-depth specialisation in this area of wider global governance.
  • Economic policy: It provides high-level training in the understanding and critical evaluation of economic policy issues, design and solutions, their foundation in the evolution of economic theory and methods, as well as critical discussion of the application of policy design to real-world problems, such as issues of implementation and monitoring.
  • Regional specificities within the global economy: It provides a differentiated analysis of problems of global economic governance from a range of regional perspectives, in advanced as well as developing country regions.

The programme is taught through two dedicated core courses (Global Economic Governance I: Global Economic Policy Debates and Analysis and Global Economic Governance II: Institutional and Governance Debates on Economic Development and Growth). In addition, students can choose from a wide range of optional courses and will write a 10,000 word dissertation.

Fees 2019/20 UK/EU fees:

Who should take this course

Interested Students.

Course content

Structure:

The MSc in Global Economic Governance and Policy is a new Masters programme designed for professionals and postgraduate students, with or without a prior background in economics, who wish to gain a focused and in-depth understanding of contemporary economic governance and policy debates from an Economics perspective.

The MSc is taught through four dedicated core modules. The first, Global Production and Industrial Policy (15PECH027) , introduces students to the analysis of the global production (and trade) system, its evolution, structure and interdependencies, as well as the ways in which industrial policies have an impact on these systems. International economics, theories of the growth of the firm and industrial organisation, technological change and innovation, are selectively introduced to disentangle value creation, capture and distribution dynamics both within and across countries. The economics of industrial policy (its designing principles, governance mechanisms and evaluation techniques) are analysed in a comparative framework by reviewing the global (and historical) variety of industrial policy approaches, models and packages. Particular emphasis is assigned to the study of technology and financial infrastructures.

The second module, Global Economic Policy Analysis (15PECC063) introduces students to core policy debates on global economic governance and different theoretical perspectives on economic policy design. Students will achieve a thorough understanding of different theoretical perspectives on economic policy tools and processes, the history of international policy regimes and of core areas of current global economic policy debates.

The third module, Political Economy of Institutions (15PECC020) , introduces students to the economics of institutions and the role of political economy in understanding institutional performance in developing countries. This covers the growing interest and literature on institutions and institutional economics,, the institutions of capitalism and the transition to capitalism, the role of property rights, firms and property right stability during this transition. The course will deal with both the "new institutional economics" approaches to these questions and alternative approaches based on a comparative historical analysis and the implications for institutional policy in transition and developing countries.

Finally, the fourth module, Institutions and Governance (15PECC064) , is designed to make students aware of the policy implications of current institutional economics and governance debates on issues affecting catching-up economic development and global growth based on a thorough understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of competing policy positions. Topic covered will include the role of the state, rents in economic development, different strategies of catching up, the role of democracy and of authoritarianism in economic transitions, problems of corruption and anti-corruption strategies. Core learning outcomes include a thorough understanding of competing policy positions on these aspects of global economic governance and the underlying theoretical underpinnings of these positions.

In addition, students will choose up to four optional modules (depending on the weight of the options, see the list below), from across a range of SOAS departments plus a 10,000 word dissertation.

Students can, but do not have to, choose a course structure that, in addition to the programme's focus on policy analysis and training, provides research methods training, for instance if they are interested in doing a PhD. If students are interested in this "research track", among their four optional modules they have to choose the following two: Statistical Research Techniques (15PECC039) ; Research Methods (15PECC040) .

About Course Provider

Our mission is to inspire the next generation to develop ideas for a fairer and more sustainable world. We welcome the brightest minds from over 130 different countries, creating a community that is diverse, vibrant and multinational. From day one at our central London campus, our students are encouraged to challenge conventional views and think globally – and that’s one of the reasons why they develop careers that make a real difference. A SOAS student is typically passionate about their subject, opts to learn a second language, loves to learn, to travel, to be surprised; and is interested and engaged with the world around them.