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International Economy and Trade

Code: 101086
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Political Science and Public Management OP 3
Political Science and Public Management OP 4
International Relations FB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Riccardo Turati
Email :
riccardo.turati@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Riccardo Turati

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

This course relies on the basic knowledge a student can get when completing the basic course "Political Economy," that is, an understanding of the principles of economics and a knowledge of the basic features of the evolution of international relations. It is also necessary a basic knowledge in mathematics (sum, subtraction, multiplication and division), as well as solving equations with one unknown variable.

Objectives

This course aims to provide an overview of modern theories of international economics from both empirical and theoretical perspectives. It also introduces the most appropriate analytical tools, offering insights into the economic benefits of international trade as well as its potential unintended consequences.

  • The first part of the course focuses on international trade theory. The material covers the development of trade theory from its origins (beginning with Ricardo's theory) to the current state of the art. Students will also be introduced to contemporary issues in trade theory and gain an understanding of the impact of international trade on economic development.
  • The second part of the course examines trade policy and its implications for the overall economy as well as for different economic agents.
  • The third part addresses the main challenges associated with international monetary relations and exchange rates.


Learning outcomes

  1. Working in teams and networking, particularly in interdisciplinary conditions.
  2. Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  3. Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  4. Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  5. Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  6. Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
  7. Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
  8. Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  9. Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  10. Working autonomously.
  11. Critically arguing the operations of the institutions and economic actors.
  12. Diagnosing specific situations and economic problems.
  13. Reflecting on the proposals of current economic policies, in several fields (financial, fiscal, incomes policy, etc.) and several territories (World, Europe, Spain).
  14. Analysing and explaining the economic dimensions behind public policies.
  15. Efficiently describing forms of public intervention concerning the economic system.
  16. Assessing the role of the public sector as an economic agent.
  17. Explaining the consequences of a fiscal reform and changes on the government's tax issues.
  18. Analysing the impact of structuring factors of the economy and international trade (institutions, policies, and actors).
  19. Arguing about the impact of international organizations on trade and international economy.
  20. Specifying the roles, dimensions and structure of the public sector in the economy.
  21. Describing the Spanish foreign sector: the dynamics of import/export, foreign investments in Spain and Spanish investments abroad.
  22. Explaining the main characteristics of the economic policies of western governments.
  23. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  24. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  25. Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  26. Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.
  27. Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  28. Describe the dynamics of economic systems, their limits and potential and their political consequences.
  29. Critically evaluate the dynamics created in the interaction between the state and the market.
  30. Use analytical tools for economics and international trade and apply them to different processes and case studies.
  31. Explain the theoretical models of economics taking into account different historical studies.
  32. Identify and analyse the roles of different actors, within and outside the state, in the operation of international economics and trade.
  33. null
  34. Identify the problems faced by economic agents when making decisions in conditions of uncertainty, using different historical experiences.
  35. Make a historical analysis of current economic problems to better assess the evolutionary possibilities of economic systems.
  36. Analyse the operation of the main universal and regional institutions that intervene in international finance and trade.
  37. Analyse and explain the functioning of the economy and international trade in the contemporary system.

Contents

Ricardo's trade theory

The Heckscher-Ohlin theory of trade and its evolution

New trade theory, intra-industry trade, and global value chains

Migration and the movement of production factors

The redistributive consequences of trade, and the gender-specific implications

The political consequences of trade

Trade policy and economic integration

The economics of sanctions

Exchange rates and international monetary relations

International monetary crises

Case studies based on current empirical evidence

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Evaluation 8 0.32 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37
Autonomous 88 3.52 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37
Guided 35 1.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Guided 15 0.6 9, 11, 22

Recitation classes

Tutorials and seminars

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Final exam 50% 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Other activites (Trade Report) 20% 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Midterm evalution 30% 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37

The final learning assessment is the weighted average of the following activities:

- 50% Final exam covering the material of the course that the professor will communicate in class (which will be the official day scheduled for the Faculty),

- 30% Midterm evaluation as the professor will explain in class,

- 20% Other assessment activities (Trade Report and its Presentation)


Grade

The final minimum grade to pass the course is 5. The final grade is the weighted average of the scores of all the activities proposed during the course.

If the final overall grade is lower than 3.5, the student must repeat the course next year.

Students with a final grade between 3.5 and less than 5 may take a retake exam. This assessment is organized by the Faculty during the session of exams. The retake exam is a pass or fail exam: if a student passes the retake exam, the final grade will be 5. If the student does not pass the re-take exam, his/her grade will remain the one taken through the weighted average of the scores of the various activities.


Not Evaluable Students

A student that does not perform any of the three learning assesment is considered \"not evaluable\".


Single Assesment

Students who wish to opt for a single assessment will have to apply for it by addressing at the Academic Management Office of the Faculty of Political Sciences and Sociology within the terms and modalities established by the Faculty Regulation.

The single assessment will be exclusively in presence.

In the case of choosing the single assessment option, the student must submit all the documents referring to all the course evaluation activities to the professor the day of the final exam (as scheduled in the academic calendar of the Faculty). Additionally, in the same day, the student must take the final exam which will cover all the topics discussed in the course and perform a(n) (oral) presentation of a report or research work as part of the evaluation activities (as for the continuous assessment option).

The total duration of the single evaluation will be around four hours.

In the case of the single assessment, the grade of the final course will be the result of the assessment of all the material submitted by the student by applying the same weight criteria established for the evaluation of the learning activities in the continuous assessment option.

Students who apply for the single evaluation assessment will be eligible for the retake exam under the same conditions as those opting for the continuous assessment.



Artificial Intelligence (AI)

For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively in support tasks, such as data analysis or information, text correction, in the Trade Report production. The student will have to clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The non-transparency of the use of AI in this evaluable activity will be considered lack of academic honesty and may entail a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater penalties of seriousness.s seriousness cases.


Plagiarism and other irregularities

In accordance with academic regulations, any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of a acted'evaluation, this act of evaluation must be graded with 0. In the event of severalirregularities in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject is 0.

Bibliography

Basic reference:

Pugel, Th. (2023): \"International Economics\", McGraw-Hill, 18th Edition (available online vía the UAB Library)

 

Additional references:

Krugman, P., Obsfeld, M. and Melitz M. (2022): \" International Economics: theory and policy\", 12th Edition,Pearson Global Edition (available online viathe UAB Library)

 

Further readings will be provided during the course.

Software

Basic software for editing documents (example Microsoft Word) or worksheet (example Microsoft Excel).

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 51 English second semester afternoon
(PAUL) Classroom practices 51 English second semester afternoon