Geoeconomics and Comparative Economic Power in International Relations
emirhanaltunkaya@gmail.com
Content
Objective
This course aims to examine how states build, mobilize, and deploy economic capabilities as instruments of power in international relations. Drawing on insights from International Political Economy and geoeconomics, the course provides a comparative, state-centered analysis of national economic strategies, sectoral strengths, and patterns of global competition.
It seeks to move beyond abstract theoretical discussions by engaging students in applied analysis of how different countries translate economic capacity into strategic influence, and how these strategies shape their position within the international system..
Course Content
Week 1 – Introduction: Economic Power in International Relations, Global Economic Landscape and Key Concepts
Week 2 – From Capacity to Power: Geoeconomics, Economic Statecraft and Strategic Competition
Week 3 – United States: From Industrial Power to Financial and Technological Hegemony
Week 4 – China: State Capitalism, Industrial Policy and Global Expansion
Week 5 – Germany: Export-Oriented Industrial Power and Economic Strategy
Week 6 – France: State Tradition, Industrial Policy and Strategic Sectors
Week 7 – United Kingdom: From Imperial Economy to Global Financial Hub
Week 8 – Mid-Term Exam
Week 9 – Italy & Spain: Southern Europe, Structural Constraints and Economic Vulnerabilities
Week 10 – Japan & South Korea: Coordinated Capitalism, Strategic Catch-Up and Technological Power
Week 11 – India & Brazil: Emerging Powers and Asymmetric Economic Strategies
Week 12 – Russia & Iran: Energy Power, Sanctions and Economic Constraints
Week 13 – Middle East & Gulf: Resource-Based Power and Economic Transformation
Week 14 – Turkey and Global Competition: Strategic Positioning in a Fragmented Global Economy
Course Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of key concepts in International Political Economy and geoeconomics.
- Apply theoretical frameworks to analyze how states use economic instruments as tools of power in IR.
- Compare different national economic strategies and identify variations in how states build and project economic power.
- Conduct structured, country-based analyses that connect development trajectories and sectoral capabilities.
- Evaluate the strategic choices of states by assessing their economic strengths and policy orientations.
References
Susan Strange. States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy. London: Pinter Publishers, 1988.
Robert Gilpin. Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order. Princeton University Press, 2001.
From Geopolitics to Geo-Economics: Logic of Conflict, Grammar of Commerce – Edward Luttwak. “From Geopolitics to Geo-Economics: Logic of Conflict, Grammar of Commerce.” The National Interest, no. 20 (1990): 17–23
War by Other Means – Robert D. Blackwill and Jennifer M. Harris. War by Other Means: Geoeconomics and Statecraft. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016.
Farrell, Henry, and Abraham L. Newman. “Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion.” International Security 44, no. 1 (2019): 42–79.
Hall, Peter A., and David Soskice, eds. Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Ben Clift – Comparative Political Economy: States, Markets and Global Capitalism. Bloomsbury Academic – 2nd Edition. 2021.
The Economist – Financial Times – Wall Street Journal – Bloomberg and others. Weekly selections on World economy and politics.
Weekly Contents
| Week | Weekly Contents |
|---|---|
| 1 | Economic Power in International Relations |
| 2 | Global Economic Landscape and Key Concepts |
| 3 | From Capacity to Power: Geoeconomics, Economic Statecraft and Strategic Competition |
| 4 | United States: From Industrial Power to Financial and Technological Hegemony |
| 5 | China: State Capitalism, Industrial Policy and Global Expansion |
| 6 | Germany: Export-Oriented Industrial Power and Economic Strategy |
| 7 | France: State Tradition, Industrial Policy and Strategic Sectors |
| 8 | United Kingdom: From Imperial Economy to Global Financial Hub |
| 9 | Italy & Spain: Southern Europe, Structural Constraints and Economic Vulnerabilities |
| 10 | Japan & South Korea: Coordinated Capitalism, Strategic Catch-Up and Technological Power |
| 11 | India & Brazil: Emerging Powers and Asymmetric Economic Strategies |
| 12 | Russia & Iran: Energy Power, Sanctions and Economic Constraints |
| 13 | Middle East & Gulf: Resource-Based Power and Economic Transformation |
| 14 | Turkey and Global Competition: Strategic Positioning in a Fragmented Global Economy |
Assessment System
| Activities | Number | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution of in-term studies to overall grade | 1 | 50 |
| Contribution of final exam to overall grade | 1 | 50 |
| Total | 2 | 100 |
| Activities | Number | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 1 | 25 |
| Presentation | 1 | 25 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 0 | 0 |
| Project | 0 | 0 |
| Laboratory | 0 | 0 |
| Other Applications | 0 | 0 |
| Quiz | 0 | 0 |
| Term Paper/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Portfolio Study | 0 | 0 |
| Reports | 0 | 0 |
| Learning Diary | 0 | 0 |
| Thesis/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Seminar | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
| Make-up | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 50 |
Relation of Proficiency
| No | Program Learning Outcomes | Contribution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | To have a detailed knowledge on the principal concepts, actors and components of the international system | X | ||||
| 2 | To master the fundamentals such as history, law, economics, sociology and political science required by the multidisciplinary nature of International Relations | X | ||||
| 3 | Pouvoir analyser la pratique à partir d’une infrastructure théorique assimilée | X | ||||
| 4 | To have acquired the capability of specializing on a particular theme and/or region | X | ||||
| 5 | In the light of Galatasaray University’s traditional and institutional links with Europe, to have developed the ability to contribute to Turkey’s accession process to the EU in a concrete manner | X | ||||
| 6 | To interpret and explain Turkish foreign policy through its domestic components as well as from the perspective of the international system | X | ||||
| 7 | To have reached the necessary level of competence to be able to undertake a career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as other state institutions and/or the private sector | X | ||||
| 8 | Possess the required skills to work at various international organizations and NGOs | X | ||||
| 9 | To be in perfect command of French, teaching language of Galatasaray University, and of English, its mandatory language, at the academic -with a view to write a thesis/project/book in the field of International Relations- as well as the professional level | X | ||||
| 10 | To have the capacity to utilize the methodological instruments acquired throughout the studies at any conceptual and/or academic work | X | ||||
ECTS
| Activities | Number | Period | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Hours | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Working Hours out of Class | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Assignments | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Presentation | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Project | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Laboratory | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Applications | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Final Examinations (including preparation) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quiz | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Term Paper/ Project | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portfolio Study | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reports | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Learning Diary | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thesis/ Project | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seminar | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Make-up | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yıl Sonu | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hazırlık Yıl Sonu | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hazırlık Bütünleme | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Workload | 25 | ||
| Total Workload / 25 | 1.00 | ||
| Credits ECTS | 1 | ||