International Political Economy : Contexts, Issues and Challenges

This book is a comprehensive introduction to the theories and recent debates on international political economy (IPE). It illustrates the theoretical ideas of the discipline and provides an in-depth understanding of regional and global political economy.

The book focusses on the functioning of states and the economy within the perspective of world politics. It explores the theories realism, liberalism, liberal interdependence, hegemonic stability and dependency vis-à-vis the contemporary global economic and political scenario. It provides a historical overview of the developments in the field and study of IPE, institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization; the effects of globalization; the movement of capital; and the contested relationship between human development and democracy. The book examines the effects of neoliberal policies on the functioning of states and highlights the challenges and dilemmas of prioritizing development especially for developing countries. The author also looks at regional formations like the EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, SAARC, APEC and BRICS and their contributions to political and economic cooperation and trade.

The book will be useful to the students, researchers and faculty working in the fields of political economy, international relations, economics, political science and development studies.

Peu Ghosh is Associate Professor and Head at the Post-Graduate Department of Political Science, Hooghly Mohsin College, West Bengal, India.