IR3076 Political Economy of Trade and Investment

Academic year

2026 to 2027 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 9

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

To be confirmed

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module Staff

To be confirmed

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module examines the politics of contemporary trade and investment agreements. The module begins with a brief intellectual history of free trade and protectionist thought, before turning to contemporary international political economy (IPE) theories. IPE theories are applied to the domestic politics of trade first, where the module focuses on the distributional consequences of trade (winners and losers) and the related policy choices that governments face. Then, IPE theories are applied to the international politics of trade. At the international level, theory helps to understand puzzles like why preferential treaties have proliferated even though a multilateral organization, the World Trade Organization, exists. The second half of the module turns to issues included in recently negotiated trade agreements. The module covers agriculture; investment; internet and data governance; and environmental, gender, and labour provisions.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS IR2005 AND PASS IR2006

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 50% Exam = 50%

Re-assessment

Exam = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 lecture (11 weeks) plus 1 tutorial (10 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours

21

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

280

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Describe and explain major IR and IPE theories used to explain the domestic and international politics of trade and trade-related issues.
  • Describe and explain the architecture governing international trade, including how multilateral, regional, and bilateral agreements overlap and intersect with national laws and policies.
  • Critically discuss questions about “who benefits” and “who loses” from international trade itself and from the policy choices made by governments regarding international trade.
  • Critically evaluate arguments for/against trade protection and analyse how citizens and groups affected by international trade mobilize to influence negotiations and policies.