Crises in capitalism, capitalism(s) in crisis Central European University Department of Political Science MA Program, Fall Semester 2014/2015 4 CEU credits, 8 ECTS credits Instructor: Dorothee Bohle Time and Place: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11-12.40, FT 908 Office hours: Mondays 13.30-17.30 The “Great Recession” of 2007 onwards is a powerful reminder that capitalism is a highly unstable order, or, as argued by Wolfgang Streeck, an “institutionalized disorder”. Dominant approaches especially in comparative political economy have in the last decades become too comfortable with the idea that capitalism is successfully domesticated by institutions – be it the regulatory institutions of liberal capitalism, or the more deeply engrained interlocking networks governing coordinated market economies. Change, if it all, was to occur gradually. The aim of this course is to revitalize concepts of capitalism as a highly dynamic system that is reproduced through cycles of destruction and institutional reform. It seeks to provide analytical tools and a long-term perspective on capitalist dynamics which foster an understanding of the destructive forces of capitalism; and the historical conditions under which these forces could be tamed and turned into sources of growth and social progress. Course structure The course has three major parts. First, we will revisit some of the classic and more recent theoretical perspectives on the political economy of capitalism and its crises. We will discuss Marxist, Schumpeterian and Polanyian perspectives. The second part of the course will explore earlier crises and the lessons we can learn from them for the current crisis. We will take a closer look at the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the crisis of the 1970s, and the financial crises of the 1980s and 1990s. We will then move on to analyze in greater detail the international and
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Crises in capitalism, capitalism(s) in crisis
Central European University
Department of Political Science
MA Program, Fall Semester 2014/2015
4 CEU credits, 8 ECTS credits
Instructor: Dorothee Bohle
Time and Place: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11-12.40, FT 908
Office hours: Mondays 13.30-17.30
The “Great Recession” of 2007 onwards is a powerful reminder that capitalism is a highly
unstable order, or, as argued by Wolfgang Streeck, an “institutionalized disorder”. Dominant
approaches especially in comparative political economy have in the last decades become too
comfortable with the idea that capitalism is successfully domesticated by institutions – be it the
regulatory institutions of liberal capitalism, or the more deeply engrained interlocking networks
governing coordinated market economies. Change, if it all, was to occur gradually. The aim of
this course is to revitalize concepts of capitalism as a highly dynamic system that is reproduced
through cycles of destruction and institutional reform. It seeks to provide analytical tools and a
long-term perspective on capitalist dynamics which foster an understanding of the destructive
forces of capitalism; and the historical conditions under which these forces could be tamed and
turned into sources of growth and social progress.
Course structure The course has three major parts. First, we will revisit some of the classic and more recent
theoretical perspectives on the political economy of capitalism and its crises. We will discuss
Marxist, Schumpeterian and Polanyian perspectives. The second part of the course will explore
earlier crises and the lessons we can learn from them for the current crisis. We will take a closer
look at the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the crisis of the 1970s, and the financial crises of
the 1980s and 1990s. We will then move on to analyze in greater detail the international and
domestic origins of the most recent global financial crisis, and its unfolding in the US and
Europe.
Course requirements and evaluation: 1. Attendance and in-class participation demonstrating the familiarity with the key
readings. This is a discussion-based seminar, where attendance and participation are crucial. (30 % of the grade)
2. One presentation. During the first two weeks of the class, each student is asked to choose a topic for presentation (topics are indicated in the syllabus) and prepare, either alone or in a small group a 15 minutes presentation (individual presentations can be slightly shorter, group presentations slightly longer, but not exceeding 20 minutes) (20 % of the grade). I will assist you with identifying core readings for the presentations.
3. Two position papers. This is a reading intensive seminar which will proceed almost entirely by discussions of the required readings supported by position papers. Position papers are small essays on the weekly readings. They should shortly summarize the readings, reflect on the major arguments, and include questions for further discussion. Position papers can compare the readings to other readings of the class, or apply the readings to an empirical case. The papers should be 4-5 pages long, and are to be distributed electronically to the whole class latest by noon the day prior to the class. Students might be asked to shortly present their papers in class (20 % of the grade).
4. Research paper of approximately 3000 words (excluding the bibliography). The final paper will be either a study of how the current crisis has affected a particular country, or region, how specific actors have contributed to the crisis, or are trying to solve aspects of the crisis. You can also develop your presentation into a research paper. The topic of the final paper is to be agreed upon with the instructor. A short outline of the research paper has to be submitted by week 11 (30% of the grade).
Learning outcomes By the end of the class, students will have acquired basic knowledge of important classical
theories of political economy, their applications in different historical contexts, and will be able
to analyze contemporary events in broader social, economic and historical contexts. They will
also be familiar with major debates of the origins, the unfolding and the dimensions of the
Great Recession. The course enhances critical thinking and writing, multidisciplinary
orientation, contributes to the mastery of academic writing and oral skills. Learning outcomes
are supported by the course’s requirements and assessed accordingly.
Reading Material All the course material is available in electronic form through a pass word protected folder.
Additional material and information will be posted at the e-learning site at http://e-
learning.ceu.hu/. The password will be communicated to students who enroll for the course. All
students are required to register for the e-learning site.
General readings
Students are highly recommended to read the Financial Times on a regular basis.
As the crisis is unfolding, an increasing number of books are being published on its different
aspects. Students who are interested in learning more might consult
Raghuram G. Rajan. Fault-Lines. How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy. Princeton, Pricenton University Press, 2010.
Michael Lewis: The Big Short. Inside the Doomsday Machine. London and New York: W.W. Norton and Company 2010.
Michael Lewis. Boomerang. Travels in the New Third World. London and New York: W.W. Norton and Company 2010.
Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. This Time is Different. Eight Centuries of Financial Folly. Oxford and Princeton, Princeton University Press.
Robert W. Kolb. The Financial Crisis of Our Time. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Joseph Stiglitz. Freefall: America, free markets and the sinking of the world economy. New York: Norton and Company, 2010.
Jack Rasmus. Epic Recession: Prelude to Global Depression. London ; New York: Pluto Press, 2010.
Wolfgang Streeck. Buying Time: The Delayed Crisis of Democratic Capitalism. Brooklyn, NY: Verso, 2014.
Philip Mirowski. Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste: How Neoliberalism Survived the Financial Meltdown. Reprint edition. Verso, 2014.
Mark Blyth. Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
You can find a regularly updated bibliography on the crisis at
Mortgage Lending, and the Privatization of Welfare in Hungary and Estonia.” Review of
International Political Economy 21, no. 4 (2014): 913–48. doi:10.1080/09692290.2013.801022.
Presentation Topic: Has privatized Keynesianism been a leading policy paradigm in Europe or
do we see major differences across countries?
Recommended
Ansell, Ben W. 'Crisis as Political Opportunity? The Role of Partisan Politics in the Response to
the Global Credit Crisis', in Bermeo, Nancy and Jonas Pontusson (eds.) Coping with Crisis,
Russell Sage Foundation. 2012, pp. 327-360.
Manning, Robert D. Credit Card Nation. The Consequences of America’s Addiction to Credit,
Basic Books 2000, Chapter 2, pp. 31-67
Schelkle, Waltraud (ed.), “In the Spotlight of Crisis: How Social Policies Create, Correct, and
Compensate Financial Markets.” Special issue of Politics and Society, 40 (1), 2012.
Week 10 When Small Countries Crash
Seminar 1
Symposium: ‘All that Glitners is not Gold’: The Political Economy of the Icelandic Financial Crisis,
EPS Volume 10, issue 3, September 2011. Read the Contributions by Schwartz and Thorhallson
Kattel, Rainer, and Ringa Raudla. “The Baltic Republics and the Crisis of 2008–2011.” Europe-
Asia Studies 65, no. 3 (2013): 426–49. doi:10.1080/09668136.2013.779456.
Seminar 2
Walter, Stefanie. “Financial Crises and Politics Macroeconomic Adjustments”. Cambridge
University Press”, Chapter 1
Presentation Topic: Discuss the pros and cons of austerity policies. Recommended Michael Lewis. Boomerang. Travels in the New Third World. London and New York: W.W.
Norton and Company 2010.
Mark Blyth. Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University
Press, 2013
Week 11 The Crisis of the Eurozone
Seminar 1: Fritz W. Scharpf (2011): “Monetary Union: Fiscal Crisis and the Pre-emption of Democracy.” LSE
Europe in Question Discussion Paper Series, LEQS Paper 36/2011
Soros, George. “The Tragedy of the European Union and How to Resolve It.” The New York Review of Books, September 27, 2012. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/sep/27/tragedy-european-union-and-how-resolve-it/.