| CODE | IRL2013 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Political Economy of War | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | International Relations | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit aims to provide students with an introductory yet comprehensive understanding of the economic factors and structures shaping contemporary armed conflicts. Major themes addressed by this unit include the theoretical paradigms on the relationship between war and the economy (such as Mercantilism, Marxism and Liberalism), the debate on so-called new wars, the notion of a 'war economy', the 'greed vs. grievance' controversy, the 'security-development nexus', and economic forms of warfare. Using a number of case studies, both contemporary and past, the study unit will: - Provide an overview of economic factors in war; - Examine the various facets of 'war economies' in contemporary armed conflicts; - Examine the relationships between security and development; - Discuss the role of natural resources in armed conflicts; - Discuss the use of economic tools in war; - Examine the implications of contemporary war economies for conflict resolution and peace-building Study-Unit Aims: - To give students a good understanding of the relevance and nature of economic factors in armed conflicts and conflict resolution; - To cover important theoretical paradigms and concepts relevant to the study of the political economy of war; - To engage students in a discussion and analysis of case studies of past and current armed conflicts and their economic dimensions. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyse the ways in which armed conflicts are shaped by economic factors and structures, and how these might relate to other (political or strategic) factors; - Describe and apply the main theoretical paradigms and concepts relevant to the study of the political economy of war; - Analyse the relationship between security and development; - Analyse the potential role natural resources play in wars; - Appreciate the implications of contemporary war economies for conflict resolution and peace-building. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss the main aspects of the relationship between war and the economy; - Write in a nuanced and informed manner about the role of economic and financial factors in war and armed conflicts. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Mats Berdal and David M. Malone (eds.), Greed & Grievance: Economic Agendas in Civil Wars. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000. - Philippe Le Billon, Fuelling War: Natural Resources and Armed Conflicts, Adelphi Paper No. 357, 2001. - Karen Ballentine and Jake Sherman (eds.), The Political Economy of Armed Conflict. Beyond Greed and Grievance. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2003. - Cynthia J. Arnson and I. William Zartman (eds.). Rethinking the Economics of War. The Intersection of Need, Creed, and Greed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. - Nicholas Mulder, The Economic Weapon. The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War. Yale University Press, 2022. Supplementary Readings: - Michael T. Klare, Resource Wars. The New Landscape of Global Conflict. New York: Owl Books, 2002. - Jeff D. Colgan, ‘Fuellingthe Fire. Pathways from Oil to War’,International Security, vol. 38, no. 2 (2013): 147-180. - Michael Pugh and Neil Cooper, War Economies in a Regional Context: Challenges of Transformation. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2004. - Dietrich Jung (ed), Shadow Globalization, Ethnic Conflict and the New Wars. London & New York: Routledge, 2003. - Paul Orogun, '"Blood Diamonds" and Africa's Armed Conflicts in the Post-Cold War Era', World Affairs, vol. 166, no. 3 (2004): 151-161. - Brahma Chellaney, Water, Peace, and War. Lanham/Boulder/New York/London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. - Hannes Mueller & Julia Tobias, The cost of violence: Estimating the economic impact of conflict, IGC Growth Brief, December 2016. - Frances Stewart, 'Development and security', Conflict, Security and Development (2004), vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 261-288. - Stephen Broadberry and Mark Harrison, ‘Economicsof the Two World Wars’,The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (Palgrave McMIllan, 2008). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Derek Lutterbeck |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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