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What is the central assumption of structuralist (Marxist) IPE regarding global trade?
the global trade system is not a neutral arena of free exchange but rather a structure shaped by power relations, class conflict, and the inherent drive of capitalism towards accumulation and exploitation
How do structuralists view capitalism?
As a global system based on the exploitation of labor, accumulation by dispossession, and power hierarchies between core and periphery.
What is “accumulation by dispossession”?
A process where public/common assets are transferred to private hands, often facilitated by the state or international institutions.
STATE: How do structuralists perceive the role of the state in global trade?
As a facilitator of capitalist accumulation, not a unified and autonomous actor; influenced by global capital and competing for mobile investment.
STATE: What is Robert Cox’s view on the state in IPE?
Cox sees states as intermediaries between global and local social forces subject to the same process of internationalisation of production. The state is not insulated but subject to the “internationalisation of the state,” aligning its policies with global capitalist demands.
STATE: What part of the state institutions gains dominance in the global capitalist system, according to structuralists?
Economic ministries such as finance and those connected to international economic policy over nationally-oriented departments (like welfare or labor), reflecting the influence of global capital.
STATE: How do states enforce the capitalist global order?
Through laws, policies, and even force that support capital accumulation, e.g., tax breaks for investors or repressing labor protests.
STATE: The states role historically?
Historically, state power has been essential to capitalist expansion, providing structures and policies that favor accumulation, including competition among states for mobile capital. Thus, states are seen as necessary but insufficient categories to understand the broader "imperial system" or global capitalist structure, which they help to facilitate and protect.
INTERNATIONAL ORG: How do structuralists view institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and WTO?
instruments used by dominant states especially Western states and capitalist interests to manage and regulate the global economy in ways that serve the accumulation of capital including promoting of economic liberalism
INTERNATIONAL ORG: In adherences to systems norms what do these institutions do?
These institutions can incorporate mechanisms to supervise and condition financial assistance upon adherence to the system's norms, effectively internationalizing external pressures on national policies.
INTERNATIONAL ORGS: What are Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) that were imposed in the 1980s and 1990s?
IMF/World Bank policies imposed on Global South countries, mandating policies like privatization and cuts to social spending, which often deepened poverty and inequality and benefited international capital
INTERNATIONAL ORG: What are the effects of SAPs from a structuralist view?
Increased poverty and inequality, weakened sovereignty, and intensified global integration on unfavorable terms for the periphery.
INTERNATIONAL ORG: What is the role of the OECD(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in structuralist IPE?
To harmonize domestic policies with global capitalist requirements, surveilling compliance and aligning national reforms with global norms.
TNCs/MNCs: How are TNCs viewed in the structuralist perspective?
As key agents of capitalist expansion and international production, central to exploiting cheap labor and shaping global trade.
TNCs/MNCs: What distinguishes modern TNCs from earlier forms of imperialism?
TNCs rely on direct control over international production (FDI), not just capital export or portfolio investment.
TNCs/MNCs: What is meant by the “internationalisation of production”?
The fragmentation and relocation of production stages across countries to maximize profit, exploit labor, and avoid regulations.
TNCs/MNCs: What is the “transnational capitalist class”?
An elite group including TNC executives, global finance actors, and political leaders who share interests in maintaining global capitalism.
How is the legacy of colonialism relevant in structuralist IPE?
Colonialism laid the groundwork for today’s trade inequalities by structuring economies around raw material export and dependency.
TNCs/MNCs: How do TNCs influence national policy?
Through lobbying, investment threats, and outsourcing decisions, pressuring governments to adopt business-friendly policies.
What unites the roles of the state, IOs, and TNCs in the structuralist view?
They collectively maintain and reproduce the capitalist world system, enabling exploitation and unequal trade under the guise of global integration.
What is meant by "unequal exchange"?
Trade where the Global South exports low-value goods/services under exploitative terms while importing high-value products, reinforcing global inequalities.