INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Catalog description

This course will analyze the causes and consequences of international trade investment. We will investigate why nations trade, what they trade, and who gains (or not) from this trade. We will then analyze the motives for countries or organizations to restrict or regulate international trade and study the effects of such policies on economic welfare. Topics covered will include the effects of trade on economic growth and wage inequality, multinationals and foreign direct investment, international trade agreements, and current trade policy disputes. We will also spend some time discussing aspects of the current debate on “globalization” such as the use of international labor standards, interactions between trade and environmental concerns, and the role of nong overnment organizations (NGO’s). Although the course will emphasize the understanding of past and current events in the world economy, we will heavily rely on formal economic modeling to help us understand these events.