Learning objectives

Referring to knowledge The primary objective of this course is to enable students to analyse contemporary economic phenomena from a historical perspective. The course also seeks to cultivate ethical awareness, a sense of responsibility, and the capacity to adapt to dynamic and evolving environments. By studying the international economy through the examination of both development successes and failures, students also develop creative and entrepreneurial skills. Furthermore, the course aims to enhance students’ communication abilities through structured oral questioning and to prepare them for effective collaborative work in teams.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

1. Stages of Economic Development: from the Great War to the Great Recession

*  1. Instability and adjustment strategies in the first post-war period, 1914-1929

 

2. The causes of the Great Depression, 1929-1939: an open debate

3. World War II and the successful post-war reconstruction, 1939-1953

4. The Golden Age of Growth, 1953-1973

5. Stagflation, 1973-1985

6. Deregulation and globalization, 1986-2019

2. Development Patterns across World Regions

*  1. The failure of Latin America: the case of Argentina

 

2. The acceleration of development in the Far East: the case of South Korea

3. Overcoming colonialism: the Republic of India

4. China’s Awakening: from a decadent nation to a 21st-century industrial colossus

5. Barriers to Africa’s development

6. Miracles in the Middle East: the case of Israel

 

 

Teaching methods and general organization

 

The methodology employed is that of comparative economic history. Economic dilemmas are analysed as evolutionary processes, in which agents tend to learn in the long term, situated within the context of the major phases of global economic development. Solutions are compared across different institutional, geographical, and cultural contexts. The competencies described in earlier sections of this plan are developed through five main approaches: assimilation of the knowledge delivered by the instructor during the on-campus classes; personal study of the materials provided in the course dossiers and class notes; active participation and engagement in class activities; critical reading of the texts proposed in the dossiers; and personal synthesis through individual or group assignments. During tutorial or practical sessions, which are announced in advance, the group may be divided into subgroups to facilitate more focused learning. For the EUS group, a specific methodology is applied, including subgroup sessions, with details provided during the first days of the course.

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Continuous assessment is designed to encourage constancy in students’ engagement with the course. It requires attendance, active participation and satisfactory results in the written and oral tests. It includes two compulsory written tests, which account for 50% of the final grade. The aim of the continuous mode of assessment is to reinforce the competencies and objectives set out in this course plan. Students may opt out of continuous assessment up until the start of the first test. Any questions about this process can be clarified during the first on-campus class. Specific assessment criteria apply to the EUS group, and these will be detailed during the first days of the course. The repeat assessment procedure follows the regulations set by the Faculty of Economics and Business.   Examination-based assessment The single mode of assessment consists of a written or oral test. This assessment mode is designed to evaluate the competencies and objectives outlined in the course plan. Repeat assessment for students who do not achieve a passing grade is conducted on the date set by the Academic Board.

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

MADDISON, Angus (1996): Problemas del crecimiento económico de las naciones, Ariel, México.

Book out of print.

EICHENGREEN, Barry (2000): La globalización del capital, Antoni Bosch, Barcelona.

Catàleg UB  
Versió en línia (3a ed., 2019)  

BERNANKE, Ben (2014): Mis años en la Reserva Federal, Deusto, Barcelona.

Catàleg UB  

MADDISON, Angus (1991): Historia del desarrollo capitalista. Sus fuerzas dinámicas, Ariel, Barcelona.

Catàleg UB  

KRUGMAN, Paul (2009): El retorno de la economía de la depresión y la crisis actual, Crítica, Barcelona.

Catàleg UB  

BELINI, Claudio & KOROL, Juan Carlos (2012): Historia económica de la Argentina en el siglo XX, Buenos Aires, Siglo XXI.

Catàleg UB  

BREGOLAT, Eugenio (2007): La segunda revolución china, Destino, Barcelona.

Catàleg UB  

DRÈZE, Jean & SEN, Amartya (2014): Una gloria incierta. India y sus contradicciones, Madrid, Taurus.

Catàleg UB  

GARCÍA BLANCH, Francisco (2002): Crecimiento económico en Corea del Sur (1951-2000): aspectos internos y factores internacionales, Madrid, Síntesis.

Catàleg UB  

SENOR, Dan & SINGER, Saul (2009): Start-Up Nation. The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, Twelve, New York.

Catàleg UB  

EASTERLY, William (2003): En busca del crecimiento. Andanzas y tribulaciones de los economistas del desarrollo, Antoni Bosch, Barcelona.

Catàleg UB  

MADDISON,  Angus (2007): Contours of the World Economy, I-2030 AD, Oxford U. P.

SHAPIRA, Anita (2014): Israel. A history, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London.

ARRIGHI, Giovanni (2007): Adam Smith en Pekín. Orígenes y fundamentos del siglo XXI, Akal, Madrid.

MADDISON, Angus (1988): Dos crisis: América y Asia 1929-1938 y 1973-1983, FCE, México.

EICHENGREEN, Barry (2007): The Europ,ean Economy since 1945. Coordinated capitalism and beyond, Princeton U. P.

ROTHERMUND, Dietmar (1988):  An Economic History of India, Croom Helm, London.

ROTHERMUND, Dietmar (2008):  India. The Rise of an Asian Giant, Yale U.P., New Haven.

EICHENGREEN, Barry (2015): Hall of Mirrors, Oxford U. P.

FRIEDMAN, Milton & SCHWARTZ A. (1963): A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960, Princeton U.P.

MINSKY, Hyman P. (1987): Las razones de Keynes, FCE, México.

EICHENGREEN, Barry (1995): Golden Fetters. The Gold Standard and the Great Depression 1919-1939, Oxford U. P.

CATALAN, Jordi (ed) (2023): Crises and Transformation in the Mediterranean World. Lessons from Catalonia, Palgrave-Macmillan.

SEN, Amartya (2007): India contemporánea. Entre modernidad y tradición, Gedisa, Capellades

SEN, Amartya (2021): Un lugar en el mundo, Taurus, Madrid.

BRASÓ, Carles (2016): Trade and Technology Networks in the Chinese Textile Industry, Palgrave-Mackmillan.

FONTANA, Josep (2011): Por el bien del imperio, Pasado y Presente, Barcelona.

 

Chapter

KEYNES, John Maynard (1925): "Las consecuencias económicas de Mr. Churchill", Reproduït a Keynes J. M., Ensayos de Persuasión, Crítica, Barcelona, pp. 213-236.

WOODWARD, Nicholas (1999): “The Search for Economic Stability; Western Europe since 1973”, M. S. Schulze (ed.), Western Europe. Economic and Social Change since 1945, Longman, London, pp. 63-80.

TORRE J. & DE RIZ L.(2001), “Argentina desde 1946”, Lynch J. (ed.), Historia de la Argentina, Crítica, Barcelona, pp. 223-316.

Journal

COLLIER P. & GUNNING J. W. (1999): “Explaining African Economic Performance”, Journal of Economic Literature, March.

CATALAN,  Jordi (2010): “Strategic policy revisited. The origins of mass production in the motor industry of Argentina, Korea and Spain, 1945-87”, Business History, 52, 2, 207-230.

CHANG, Ha-Joon (1993): “The political economy of industrial policy in Korea”, Cambridge Journal of Economics, 17.

CATALAN, Jordi (2015): “From the Great Depression to the Euro Crisis”, Revista de Historia Industrial, 56, 15-45.

CATALAN, Jordi (2002): “Costes y beneficios del euro en la Europa periférica: España versus Suecia”, Gaceta Numismática, 145, 17-33.