Global Political Economy

Global Political Economy (GPE) is a broad and varied field of study and draws insight from a great number of fields and approaches. One of the serious problems confronting academics and students is the sheer mass of theories and debates in the field. This textbook provides up-to-date summaries of the debates and approaches that are currently at the forefront of both European and American GPE.

This new revised and expanded second edition contains updated versions of most of the original chapters. In addition, there is a new section entitled ‘Emerging issues in contemporary Global Political Economy (GPE)’ and six new chapters.

The second edition is structured around three themes:



Part I focuses on the six central concepts of GPE: state, firm, power, labour, finance and globalization. Each one of them has been increasingly subjected to a rigorous and critical evaluation in recent scholarship.

Part II covers a select number of theories and debates currently at the forefront of GPE: game theory; behavioural economics; neo-, sociological and evolutionary institutionalism; neo-Marxism; development and post-development; libidinal economies; and economic constructivism.

Part III, which is new to this edition, is entitled ‘Emerging issues in contemporary Global Political Economy (GPE)’ and focuses on war, state and International Political Economy (IPE); race, gender and culture; environmental politics; and the rise of China. This is essential reading for all serious scholars and advanced students of IPE.