The course analyses current issues, policy debates and theories relating to interactions between global institutions and global trade rules, and the consequences that arise from this for development processes. We are confronted with new and emergent challenges. International institutions like the World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as private corporations and non-governmental organisations increasingly play important roles in shaping the ‘rules’ of trade and thus the developmental experiences of developing countries. 

Additionally, recent shifts in the global economy - such as the rise of South-South engagement and increasing geopolitical competition - are challenging existing patterns of globalisation. The emphasis of this course is on understanding the structure of the international trade regime and the challenges and opportunities that global trading rules bring to development policy and outcomes. 

The course aims to examine not only the implications for development and developing countries of these global dynamics, but also how they contribute to shaping them. 

The course examines issues related to work and employment in the global economy. The course covers conventional and critical theories of labour markets, work, and employment. Specific dimensions are covered through thematic lectures, such as economic migration, gender, informality, sex work, and unfree labour.

The course involves lectures, tutorials, film screenings, a museum visit, and a Virtual Reality (VR) session, in which students visit different workplaces to reflect on the impact the spatial organisation of production processes has on labour relations. 

This module draws on a range of teaching and learning activities to encourage students to approach the subject with an open mind, question their own assumptions and engage in collegial debates with their peers.