Week 5: The Political Economy of Trade

This course explores the relationship between domestic and foreign policy, discussing the conflicts that can arise within and between countries in the pursuit of commercial and other goals. It examines trade policy from a conflict management perspective, before focusing on the ways that foreign policy and trade relate to one another in specific areas. Among the issues covered are discriminatory trade agreements as an instrument of foreign policy, problems of coherence between the WTO and other international organisations, the political issues surrounding trade and development and prospects for structural reform of the WTO.