My teaching is centred on problem-based learning. Students learn by using theory and evidence to work through the kinds of difficult choices faced by real-world decision-makers.
At LSE, I teach IR355/IR489, Economic Diplomacy. The course asks how governments and other actors get what they want in negotiations over the global economy. Why can a government on the brink of bankruptcy sometimes secure a better deal from an international lender? How can states reduce their dependence on a rival’s technology without bearing the costs of full decoupling? And when does disrupting the global trading system serve a country’s national interest? Answering these questions requires students to think like economic diplomats: to understand the constraints decision-makers face and the trade-offs they must make.
Cases are at the heart of the course. Students step inside real diplomatic dilemmas involving trade negotiations, debt crises, economic coercion, climate change, aid, and weaponized interdependence. They use theories of international political economy and negotiation, together with empirical evidence, to diagnose problems, evaluate competing strategies, and decide what they would do.
My aim is to give students both a rigorous grounding in international political economy and the analytical skills to apply academic knowledge to the problems facing policymakers and practitioners.
