Each student will complete a FIVE to SEVEN-page analysis of some contemporary issue in International Political Economy – IPE (e.g. NAFTA, trade and the WTO, trade and the environment, the EMU, the role of the IMF and the World Bank in less developed countries, the nascent anti-globalization backlash, etc.). Students will need to do original research on their particular topic, but all papers will be required to also:
(1) apply insight from IPE theory and
(2) place their topic in historical perspective.
1. Analyze a contemporary issue in international political
economy.
a. Contemporary: last 30 years or so
b. Issue must be analytical, not normative
(i) Analytical: why a policy was adopted;
consequences of a policy, such as a trade
agreement; evaluation of international financial
institutions, codes of conduct, or fair trade;
causes of land grabs; politics of tax havens….
(ii) Normative: what should be done? This is not the
purpose of this assignment.
c. Paper must use International Political Economy
(IPE) theory to analyze/explain the issue.
d. Some suggestions for picking a topic.

2. Structure of Paper.
a. Intro – clearly defined thesis statement (no more
than 1 page)
b. History – most important junctures to situate the
issue and give relevant background (1-2 pages)
c. Theory and Analysis: which theories best apply and
why? (2-3 pages)
(i) Competing hypotheses: how would the relevant
theories explain the issue and which
explanation is more persuasive and why.
d. Conclusion- restate main argument. Implication for
theory and future research/policy (1 page)

3. Other Information:
a. 5-7 pages (quality not quantity), double-spaced,
with page numbers on the pages
b. MLA citation style
c. MLA citation style
d. Sources: newspapers (at least one newspaper)
periodicals (at least one), newsweeklies (at least
one), academic journals (as many as you need to).
Use the library’s academic databases – Use many
as you think necessary but I think at least 10
sources would be fine from these 10 sources two of
them should be from the two text books Cohn’s text
and Broad’s text.