Should The United States Pursue Free Trade Agreements?
The position papers should be 3-4 page argumentative essays. You will pick a ¡°Policy Analysis and Debate¡± topic from the IPE text. They can be found on pages 41, 75, 99, 131, 151, 199, 221, 239, 267, 286, 315, and 335. Each of them gives a brief overview of an issue and question to be answered. They also offer up different possible policy options and a few questions to help you analyze those options. You must choose a position and defend it. I expect you to make use of and cite at least three sources other than your textbook.
U.S. Economic History
Texts:
International Political Economy, 5e, Thomas Oatley (IPE)
Kicking Away the Ladder, Ha-Joon Chang (KAL)
The Globalization Paradox, Dani Rodrik (GP)
Course Objectives:
After completing this class, students should be able to:
- Understand and distinguish the perspectives or paradigms within which scholars approach the field of international political economy.
- Understand basic concepts and methods of Economics, Political Science, and History (such as the development over time in the modern world of “the state” and “the market”) as they apply to the postwar world system.
- Recognize the value and importance of approaching a subject from an interdisciplinary standpoint.
- Explain the growth and development of the types of economic and political systems, and their international interaction, in the post-World War 2 era.
- Understand how contemporary international monetary and trade regimes work, and how these developed out of prior international arrangements.
- Understand the basis for conflict and cooperation between and among states in the current world system.
- Recognize the differences in economic and political “development” among countries in the international system, and evaluate the theories and perspectives explaining those differences.
- Understand the basis of current conflicts and issues in the international political economy, trade disagreements, conflict over the role of multinational corporations, the world debt crisis, the role of international institutions, IMF, World Bank. etc.).
Grading:
Evaluation of student performance will be based on weekly quizzes, three argumentative essays, and class participation. The relative weights are as follows. A grade scale is listed below and each component is described in more detail.
Quizzes 30% Every Friday
Position Paper #1 20% 10/21
Position Paper #2 20% 11/18
Position Paper #3 20% 12/9
Engaged Attendance 10% Daily
Total 100%
100-94 A, 93-90 A-, 89-87 B+, 86-83 B, 82-80 B-, 79-77 C+, 76-73 C, 72-70 C-,
69-67 D+, 66-60 D, 59 > F
Quizzes
Quizzes will be multiple choice, T/F, and/or short answer. They will be given every Friday. You will be allowed to drop two quizzes. No makeups will be given.
Position Paper
The position papers should be 3-4 page argumentative essays. You will pick a “Policy Analysis and Debate” topic from the IPE text. They can be found on pages 41, 75, 99, 131, 151, 199, 221, 239, 267, 286, 315, and 335. Each of them gives a brief overview of an issue and question to be answered. They also offer up different possible policy options and a few questions to help you analyze those options. You must choose a position and defend it. I expect you to make use of and cite at least three sources other than your textbook.
Some general rules apply to the writing assignments. First, all of these assignments should be typed, double-spaced, using standard font sizes and margins. Second, your grade will be based in part on whether or not you have expressed yourself clearly. Spelling, grammar, and organization matter. Third, if you use material from any source, you must clearly indicate your source, and if you directly quote any material, you must clearly indicate what has been quoted (along with indicating your source). If you quote material without clearly indicating so, you will receive a 0 for the assignment. If you have any questions about this, please discuss them with me. Finally, late assignments will not receive full credit. If you know that you are going to miss class on the day an assignment is due, please make some arrangement for getting the work to me before class. Late work will be docked 10% a day.
If you need help with writing, then please visit the Writing Lab. The earlier you make contact with them the better. http://bellevuecollege(dot)edu/asc/writing/
Engaged Attendance
Participation points will be based on random attendance checks. Students will also be expected to arrive on time each day. Attendance will be called at the beginning of class. I will select 11 days at random and grade your engaged attendance. You must not only be physically present, but also mentally engaged. I will drop the lowest of the 11 and the remainder will equal 10% of your final grade. Attendance and preparation matter to your grade!!!
Instructor Expectations
I expect students to show up to class prepared, participate in discussion, and not distract other students. If you and your personal electronics become a distraction to other students, then you will be dismissed for the day and warned. If it is a recurrent problem, then you will be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for removal from the class and any disciplinary action that office deems appropriate.
Class Calendar
Week 1 9/23
- Syllabi and Introductions
- Cohort Formation, IPE 1 –International Political Economy
- IPE 2 – The WTO and the world trade system
Week 2 9/30
- IPE 3 – The Political Economy of International Trade Cooperation
Week 3 10/7
- IPE 4 – A Society Centered Approach to Trade Politics
- IPE 5 – A State Centered Approach to Trade Politics
Week 4 10/14
- IPE 6 – Trade and Development I: Import Substitution Industrialization
- IPE 7 – Trade and Development II: Economic Reform
Week 5 10/21 – Position Paper #1 Due 10/21, NO class on 10/23
- KAL 1 – Introduction: How did the Rich Countries Really Become Rich?, GP 1 – Of Markets and States, GP 2 – The Rise and Fall of the First Great Globalization
- KAL 2 – Policies for Economic Development, GP 7 – Poor Countries in a Rich World
- KAL 3 – Institutions and Economic Development, GP 8 – Trade Fundamentalism in the Tropics
- KAL 4 – Lessons for the Present
Week 6 10/28
- IPE 8 – Multinational Corporations in the Global Economy
- IPE 9 – the Politics of Multinational Corporations
Week 7 11/4
- IPE 10 – The International Monetary System
- IPE 11 – Cooperation, Conflict, and Crisis in the Contemporary Int’l Monetary System
Week 8 11/12 – No class 11/11
- IPE 12 – A Society Centered Approach to Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies
- IPE 13 – A State Centered Approach to Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies
Week 9 11/18 – Position Paper #2 Due 11/18
- IPE 14 – Developing Countries and Int’l Finance I: Latin American Debt
Week 10 11/25 – No class 11/28, 11/29
- IPE 15 – Developing Countries and Int’l Finance II: A Decade of Crises
Week 11 12/2
- IPE 16 – Globalization: Consequences and Controversies
- GP 9 – The Political Trilemma of the World Economy
Final Exam Period - Monday 12/9 - 11:30 a.m. - Position Paper #3 Due
This course schedule is intended to give students an idea as to the content of the course and a rough reading schedule. It is not meant to be taken as fixed, permanent, eternal, etc. If the need arises changes will be made.
Affirmation of Inclusion:
Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.
We Value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.
Student Code:
“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.” The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege(dot)edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp
Disability Resource Center (DRC):
The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.
If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.
The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110. . . Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links at www(dot)bellevuecollege(dot)edu/drc
Social Science Division Policies can be found at: http://bellevuecollege(dot)edu/socsci/student_policies.asp Please familiarize yourself with them.
Should The United States Pursue Free Trade Agreements?
Name:
University:
Course Title:
Instructor:
Date:
Should The United States Pursue Free Trade Agreements?
The United States approach to free- trade agreements continues to meet diverse reactions from different corners with one group supporting its participation and the other clearly against it. Arguments in favor of regionalism by the U.S. claim that the nation stands at an advantage as relates to derived benefits as compared to its involvement with the World Trade Organization (WTO). This rests on the subject of trade liberalization which involves the introduction of reforms that seek to regulate and minimize the associated barriers in trade agreements (Cooper, 2012). On the other hand, critics assert that the development of free-trade agreements results in the destabilization of the international trade structure (Bhagwati, 2008). Essentially, the United States stands at an advantageous position with the participation in free trade arrangements.
From a historical perspective, the United States only engaged in multilateral trade agreements that involve strict conditions and regulations. A common belief was that the introduction of such regulation played a great part in enhancing the global trade structure. Nonetheless, each party had an opportunity of participating in regionalism as provided for under Article XXIV of the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade, GATT (Bhagwati, 2008). The entry of the U.S. in a bilateral agreement with Canada changed the conventional conception of multilateral systems, and saw the nation participating in other similar arrangements. Presently, the United States is party to a number of bilateral free-trade structures and is even focusing on additional involvement into the trade system. An example of a recent bilateral agreement signed by the nation includes the Trade Facilitation Agreement with Morocco (ustr.gov, 2013).
Various arguments against free-trade agreements are proposed by opponents of such system: coinciding and conflicting policies and regulations; evolution of poor standards for other trade arrangements; divergence of resources and interest in WTO deliberations; and altered trade and investment activities (Scott, 2004). The concept of ‘most favored nation' or MFN as outlined in the U.S. free trade policy results to changes in trade and investment due to the clear discrimination generated through such arrangements. According to Richard Baldwin (1993), the cost of non-involvement for third nations in global trade increases as a result of such alteration (Scott, 2004). This stimulates the development of trading blocs or engagement in free trade agreements by countries facing diversion in trade. The scope of the related challenges brought about by these diversions relies heavily on whether the involved parties allow preferential treatment for other nations, and whether there is development of moderate and non-restrictive multilateral trade systems. The United States is an elaborate example of a party to a free trade arrangement extending such exclusive treatment to other states as in the Caribbean Basin Initiative (Scott, 2004).
Another argument by critics suggests that there are increased costs and complications in the sourcing of products to various markets due to conflicting regulations in trade (Bhagwati, 2008). The United States is prone to higher transactional costs stemming from the introduction of restraining origin rules which have features of alteration. Such limitations occur in sectors having high levels of protection as the U.S. this is clearly portrayed in the U.S-Canada trade pact where the impacts of rules of origin decrease due to few trade restrictions (Scott, 2004). Thir...