At the end of this course, students will be able to
- develop critical understanding of the political-economic causes of climate change
- understand and explain debates over the types of socioeconomic transformations required to mitigate and adapt to climate change
- understand and apply key theoretical perspectives in the GPE of climate change
- learn to connect academic arguments about climate change causes and responses to real-world policy issues such as the Paris Agreement, energy transition, and climate justice
- develop research and argumentation skills through the writing of a reflection paper and policy paper, and participation in a roundtable discussion
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The unprecedented problem of climate change is deeply rooted in political-economic policies, institutions, and structures. At least since the Industrial Revolution, the growth and transformation of the global economy has been inseparable from fossil fuels. Human activities – overwhelmingly in the industrialised countries – continue to create a dangerous increase of greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere.
For that reason, a global political economy analysis is crucial for understanding the problems posed by climate change. In this course, students will learn how to analyse the intersection of climate change and global political economy from two angles: the political-economic causes of the current crisis, and the potential for political-economic transformations to mitigate the crisis. The course will explore cooperation, conflict, and transformation in transnational responses to climate change.
To do so, we will investigate key topics and debates in the global political economy of climate change. These topics include climate finance, global inequalities, carbon markets, energy politics and renewable energy transition, global production, and economic (de-)growth.
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This course is intended for Master’s students in the specialisation International Political Economy. Prospective exchange students should be aware that this course builds upon substantial foreknowledge gained in the first semester of the Master’s specialisation as well as Bachelor-level political science and economics.
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One shorter paper (a critical reflection memo) and one final paper. Partial results do not remain valid
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