International Political Economy (IPE),
or Global Political Economy
interdisciplinary analyses ultimately concerned with the ways in which political entities (states, institutions, or individuals, etc.) shape how economic activiy effect systems, and the inverse, the effect that economic interactions have upon political structures.
Liberal - freedom for private powers at the expense of public power/ government; markets, free from the distortions caused by government controls and regulation, will harmonise demand and supply of resources resulting in the best possible outcome for the majority
Realist (or "nationalist") - power of free markets to deliver favourable outcomes which are generally obtained with moderately strong public power exerting some regulatory control
Marxist - robust application of strong public power can check innate tendencies for private power to benefit elites at the expense of the majority
Constructivist - economic interaction is not value-free, economic and political identities along with material interests are key determinants of economic action
- Dictionary of Economics (Oxford)
- New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics
- Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook
- World Factbook (CIA)