Webinar Overview – The Contested World Economy: The Deep Global Roots of International Political Economy
Photo by Anthony Delanoix via Unsplash.
Written by Mridhu Khanna
On November 9, 2023, the Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) hosted University of Waterloo Political Science Professor Eric Helliner for the final installment of the Fall 2023 Global Economic Governance Initiative Book Talk Series. Mr. Helleiner spoke to the Boston University community about his latest book, The Contested World Economy: The Deep and Global Roots of International Political Economy. This book provides readers with a broad perspective on the field of international political economy (IPE) and how these broader perspectives can inform. Contemporary challenges facing the international community.
Helleiner began the conversation, moderated by GDP Center Director Kevin P. Gallagher, by taking a step back and sharing why he decided to participate in this project. As a professor, Helleiner often looked for resources to help his students expand their learning beyond post-1945 Western scholarship and IPE theory, but found none, so he looked to thinkers from around the world and even further into history. He explained that he began to explore thinkers from back in time. These are people who developed independent theories and adapted general theories to be more locally relevant.
Neo-mercantilism, Marxism, and liberalism have been the most popular theories in IPE since the Bretton Wood Conference in 1944, with scholars like Adam Smith and Karl Marx dominating the literature. Helleiner explained that he faced two frustrations with the saturation of IPE theory. Firstly, there was a misconception that only Western writers wrote about his IPE, and secondly, there was a misconception that discipleship was limited to “three-way discussions.” He explained that this discussion is not representative of all points of view. Many other researchers, including those from environmental theory, feminist theory, and tributary theory, participated and provided unique perspectives to contemporary debates on development, climate, and sustainability.
The first half of this book aims to focus on contributions to three major theories by lesser-known scholars. Their contributions not only refined and strengthened the theory, but also helped make it more locally relevant. Helleiner explained how Latin American scholars have applied liberalism's free trade principles differently between and within borders rather than across borders. Furthermore, some non-Western scholars studying Lenin have approached the analysis of imperialism by focusing not only on its causes, but also on its effects, as many Western scholars have focused on. I worked on it.
Helleiner also explained that theories such as those popularized in Europe and North America were developed by thinkers in other parts of the world who had no contact with Western thinkers. Like liberal thinkers, Chinese scholars argue that free trade creates mutual benefits and public goods, and that, contrary to popular belief, Japan's neo-mercantilist camp has endogenous roots in the thinkers of the 1830s. he claimed. Remarkably, Sun Yat-sen, the first interim president of the Republic of China, first floated the idea of a World Bank-like institution to the League of Nations long before the proposal received broader support at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. Proposed.
In the second half of the book, we move beyond the “three-part” discussion to explore other schools of thought that have received less attention in the IPE field. Directly opposed to the more liberal theories of the postwar period was autarky, a theory that valued national autonomy above all else. Unlike neo-mercantilism, which maximized the wealth and power of states in open economies, autarchy favored closed economies, even if it meant that states could not maximize their power and control.
Feminist ideas were also featured in the discussion, with Helleiner explaining that in the early 1900s, Chinese thinkers analyzed the effects of the country's economic transformation and found that the effects of those changes were gendered. . She realized that the transition from her home textile production to a more commercial operation was impacting the livelihoods of the women who traditionally worked in this work.
In addition, Mr. Helleiner draws on the work of indigenous thinkers on settler colonialism and its ecological effects, Mahatma Gandhi's degrowth theory, Stanley Jevins' work on environmental degradation and economic growth in the late 19th century, and We discussed India's “drainage theory”. Economist Dadabhai Naroji spoke about how British imperialism depleted India of resources, leading to continued poverty.
Mr. Helleiner's summary of the findings provided rich context for the audience's questions. Asked about sourcing the book, Helleiner explained that partnering with local experts was key, something that would have been much more difficult 20 years ago thanks to recent global intellectual movements and a wealth of translations. He said that he is now able to conduct research that would otherwise have been difficult. He said that, unfortunately, in some cases, it is not possible to directly analyze texts and still rely on secondary sources and other scholars' interpretations of texts, which could be added to the research in the future. He added that he hopes so. Text becomes more accessible.
This discussion provided an opportunity to delve deeper into unique contributions from global scholars. Helleiner has previously discussed how scholars of East Asia have given a more prominent role to the state in their interpretations of neo-mercantilism, and the audience was partially inspired by the idea of total war mobilization based on the military-song theory. Added insight into the “mash-up” of theories that exist in Japan. , was proposed by a scholar with strong Marxist ideas. Helleiner also said that while Smith may be the first world-renowned IPE scholar, the 14th century economist Ibn Khaldun may be cited by some as a pioneer of economic liberalism.
To conclude the discussion, the audience will also discuss how the lessons can be leveraged to address the current impasse in the global economic system, and how Western participants understanding non-Western thinking can help global cooperation. He asked about the applications of his discoveries. As part of his opening remarks, Helleiner explained that an increasing number of contemporary leaders are quoting pre-1945 thinkers on the world stage. During the Q&A, he will discuss the thinkers and theories behind these references as new participants join the discussion and global cooperation becomes increasingly important to achieve common international goals. He added that understanding can be very helpful in interpreting the world.
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Webinar Overview – The Contested World Economy: The Deep Global Roots of International Political Economy
Posted: 4 months ago on Monday, December 4, 2023
