Globalisation Debate

Full course description

Globalisation is a controversial economic phenomenon. Is free trade a blessing or a threat? Should all countries open their borders to capital flows? Are Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) necessary for innovation and growth or do they block the diffusion of ideas? What are the economic consequences of migration flows? In this course, students will learn the economic tools which will allow them to form an informed opinion on these issues as well as how to put forward their ideas in an organized way (both presenting them orally, via debates in class and in writing, via a paper assignment).
The course follows the following structure. We first analyze globalisation in terms of the increasing flow of goods between countries. After this, we focus on the international flows of capital. The recent financial crisis in 2009 has shown that financial shocks spread easily around the world because of financial liberalization and globalisation. What can policy makers do about this? Next, we analyze the international flow of ideas. Due to globalisation, knowledge spreads easily around the world. However, not all countries have the same intellectual property rights protection. Does this provide a threat to economic growth? Finally, we analyze the increasing flows of people around the world, focusing on the role of brain drain, remittances and the refugee crisis.
The material is diverse (textbook, journal articles, short articles, videos and radio excerpts) and up-to-date to reflect current events and discussions. These also provide students with different opinions with the aim of helping them developing their own. Next to that, students will write a paper about a self-chosen subject related to globalisation. During the final two meetings, students present this paper to their classmates and discuss the results.