Lecture 1 - updated

Course Overview

  • Course Title: Issues in Global Economics

  • Academic Year: 2024-2025

Instructor Information

  • Teacher: Roel Dom

    • Guest Professor, Department of Economics

    • Economist (Belgian Government, World Bank, Institute of Development Studies, Overseas Development Institute)

    • Email: roel.dom@uantwerpen.be

    • Research Fields: Development economics, public finance

  • Teaching Assistant: Oguzhan Erdogan

    • Email: Oguzhan.Erdogan@uantwerpen.be

Course Objectives

  • Increase factual knowledge of global challenges.

  • Explore the usefulness of economic analysis to understand global issues.

  • Understand interrelationships among global issues in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world.

  • Familiarize with leading thinkers and publications on global issues.

  • Evaluate alternative policy solutions to studied problems.

  • Write and present a report on a specific global issue.

Course Content

  1. Introduction; What is Development?

  2. Wealth and Poverty

  3. Population

  4. Food

  5. Energy

  6. Climate Change

  7. The Environment

  8. Technology

  9. Alternative Futures

Course Material

  • Textbook:

    • Title: Global Issues: An Introduction

    • Authors: Kristen A. Hite and John L. Seitz

    • Edition: 6th (Wiley-Blackwell, 2021)

  • Other Resources:

    • Blackboard

    • Presentations

    • Additional and optional video materials

Current Events Engagement

  • Recommended sources for staying updated:

    • The Economist

    • Financial Times

    • The Guardian

    • The New York Times

    • BBC

    • CNN

    • Al Jazeera

Study Methods

  • 9 lectures (2 hours each per week)

  • 4 sessions for student presentations

  • Self-study: slides, notes, readings

  • Writing, and presenting an essay

Lecture Schedule

  • 3 October: Introduction; What is Development? (Hite and Seitz, ch. 1)

  • 10 October: Wealth and Poverty (ch. 2)

  • 17 October: Population (ch. 3)

  • 24 October: Food (ch. 4)

  • 31 October: Energy (ch. 5) + guest speaker (TBC)

  • 7 November: Climate Change (ch. 6)

  • 14 November: The Environment (chs 7-8)

  • 21 November: Technology (ch. 9)

  • 28 November: Alternative Futures (ch. 10) + presentations

Presentation Guidelines

  • Teams of four students

  • Each team has a maximum of 10 minutes to present

  • Peer evaluation: every team comments on another's presentation

Essay Writing Guidelines

  • Form teams of three students by 17 October

  • Topic: Academic essay (approx. 2000 words) based on an article from Foreign Affairs (assigned)

  • Write for fellow students, not for the professor

  • Use the Academic Toolkit for guidance

  • Deadline: 25 November, 20:00

Use of AI Tools

  • AI tools can assist in assignments but must be acknowledged appropriately.

    • Include an appendix describing the use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) with context of use.

Assessment Criteria

  • Written Examination: 70%

    • Closed-book, assesses factual knowledge (multiple-choice/essay questions)

  • Written Essay: 20%

  • Presentation: 10%

    • Required to present own paper and comment on peers

Academic Toolkit

  • Offers tips on finding data, writing, and effective study skills.

Categories of Global Issues**

  • Global Commons Issues: e.g., global warming, biodiversity losses.

  • Social/Economic Issues: e.g., poverty, health, conflict.

  • Legal/Regulatory Issues: e.g., trade, migration rights.

  • Values Issues: e.g., human rights, gender equality.

Key Players in Global Issues

  • States remain significant but not the only players.

  • Other participants include businesses, civil society (NGOs), and multinatural organizations.

Traditional vs. New Realities of States

  • States traditionally exercised sovereignty in economics, environment, politics.

  • Modern challenges: shared governance with networks of other states/civil society.

Global Turning Points in Economics and Society

  • Changes acknowledged include redistribution of power and rising urbanization.

  • Emerging economies influence the global economy.

  • Social issues like population ageing, inequality, and urban challenges are growing.

Summary of Global Policy Issues

  • Challenges requiring global action involving shared resources, humanity, governance, and values.

  • Key transformative forces: demographic change and a rapidly evolving world economy.