The emphasis in this course is on analysis rather than description. Students are expected be familiar with the broad political and economic history of post-war Europe (Eichengreen 2007 offers a good political-economic analysis of post-war Europe as a basis for this course). The course is divided into three parts. In the first we outline the basic arguments and methodological considerations of comparative political economy and particularly the Varieties of Capitalism approach and its critiques. We then discuss the structure of and dynamics in the main European families of capitalism in this light: Germany (and NW-Europe more generally) versus the (Anglo-Saxon model in the) UK; (the Mediterranean economies) France, Italy and Spain; and the (FDI dependent) emerging markets of Central Europe. In the third part of the course, we will discuss several problems of contemporary capitalism in Europe and beyond, which will be proposed and developed by the students. The final session will be devoted to a discussion of the questions for the final essay (see below).

Course convener: Bob Hancké (r.hancke@lse.ac.uk)