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2023/2024  BA-BIBAV1013U  China and the Global Economy

English Title
China and the Global Economy

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Max. participants 40
Study board
Study Board for BSc in Business, Asian Language and Culture
Course coordinator
  • Edward Ashbee - Department of International Economics, Goverment and Business (EGB)
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalisation and international business
  • International political economy
  • Political Science
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 31-01-2023

Relevant links

Learning objectives
  • Analyze and assess the ways in which firms and business organizations across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas have responded to China’s changing position and policies
  • Analyze and evaluate the economic, political and strategic responses of governments and inter-governmental organizations to China’s changing position and policies
  • Consider relations between China and other countries through the prism of relevant theories drawn from international relations and international political economy
  • Assess the efforts of China and other nations to establish new forms of trans-national institutional architecture
  • Relate relevant concepts and theories to empirical evidence
  • Construct and sustain coherent and structured arguments in a well-reasoned manner using frameworks, approaches and methods drawn from the social sciences and based upon an understanding of competing perspectives.
Examination
China and the Global Economy:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Release of assignment The Assignment is released in Digital Exam (DE) at exam start
Duration 7 days to prepare
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Winter and Autumn
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
The make-up / retake exam for those who are ill, have failed or not attended the original exam is a new paper offering different questions that will be assigned by the teaching staff.
Description of the exam procedure

The examination paper will consist of questions drawn from the syllabus. Sample questions will be issued ahead of the exam and considered in the assignment workshops.  

 

Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The course considers the responses of foreign firms and countries in the west, Africa and Asia to China’s rise.  In other words it offers an outsider perspective on China rather than an insider analysis. 

 

The classes will look at the ways in which governments, firms and and other actors have at times sought to cooperate with Beijing, counter Chinese influence, or attempt not to “take sides”. It will look at the impact of increased trade since China joined the World Trade Organization and the character of the “China shock” that followed, as well as responses by states across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas to projects such as the Belt & Road Initiative and the creation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. There will also be a case-study of recent developments around the semiconductor sector and the increasingly pronounced "chip war" between the US and China.

 

At the same time, the course will survey reactions to China’s military and strategic prowess and against this background assess the character of responses of established powers (as well as the European Union) through for example investment screening, the Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the creation of AUKUS. Within this context the classes will assess the consequences for firms and supply chains as well as the part played by business interests and other groupings in policymaking processes. 

 

Students will also consider and apply the different theoretical frameworks that are employed in International Relations (IR) and Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). These include strategic-relational approaches and the "two-level game" as well as classic international relations theories (most notably realism and liberal internationalism). 

 

On this basis big questions are asked. Has protectionism become the "new normal"? Is there a process of economic “decoupling” between the west and China? Is the global economy breaking up into largely separate blocs? Is China becoming the new global "hegemon"? Has China's state capitalism proved superior to free market models? Are China and the US stuck in a “Thucydides trap” and perhaps heading towards all-out conflict?

 

Nordic Nine: In sum, the course places business knowledge about the relationship between China and other states within a broad context, explores the uncertainty about the implications of China’s rise, explores data, assesses the ambiguous and uncertain character of the responses made by many firms and governments, and promotes critical thinking.

 

Description of the teaching methods
The course will be structured around interactive classes with many opportunities for questions and student contributions. We will encourage the formation of study groups so that the assigned reading is approached collectively and there is a basis for activity outside of the classroom.
Feedback during the teaching period
All classes will include participative feedback exercises. The course also incorporates a workshop to ensure that students approach the examination assignment in a considered and structured way. Study groups will be offered a staff office hours session so as to ‘test’ ideas and engage in dialogue.
Student workload
lPreparation time (assigned readings, group work etc) 130 hours
classes and workshops 38 hours
Exam including preparation 45 hours
Expected literature

David Shambaugh (2020) China & the World, Oxford University Press

Last updated on 31-01-2023