On Thursday 12 October 2023, LSE welcomed back alumnus Dr Eric Helleiner, now Professor of Politics at the University of Waterloo. In front of an enthusiastic audience of students, friends and colleagues, Professor Helleiner presented his recently published book, The Contested World Economy, about the history of the field of International Political Economy (IPE) before 1945. The event was moderated by Professor Robert Faulkner, Professor of International Relations at LSE, who kicked off the discussion by highlighting the speakers’ impressive academic achievements and introducing the discussant in question, Dr Natalia Naqvi, Associate Professor of IPE at LSE.
From left: Natalia Naqvi, Eric Heliner, and Robert Faulkner (chairman)
Professor Helleiner began his talk with gratitude to his PhD supervisor at LSE, Susan Strange, and words of encouragement for the students in attendance. His talk succeeded in situating this work within the movement for a more global intellectual history of our discipline, while at the same time convincing me that the contribution of this work is not merely of historical interest.
The book shines a light on under-represented non-Western thinkers whose work continues to influence policymakers in countries that are today major players in the global economy. It broadens the traditional debate in the field to include “new” perspectives, such as environmentalism and feminism, that actually have deeper roots. And, as Dr. Naqvi points out, the book conclusively undermines the notion that developing regions have merely passively imported ideas from the West.
[The book] It conclusively rejects the notion that developing regions have only passively imported ideas from the West.
Questions from discussants and audience ranged from practical implications for contemporary IPE. Professor Helleiner expressed regret that many non-Western perspectives have been ignored since the war, but he noted that Western scholars have provided the most sophisticated explanations in the field and opposed the idea of forcing instructors to dictate how they should teach their courses.
His concluding remarks got me thinking about the nature of the field and the mystery of why it disappeared in Britain after World War II. The world of IPE is undoubtedly richer because Eric Helleiner wrote this book.
Event report by Mikhail Mikhov (Master of International Political Economy (Research))