Example international political economy dissertation topic 1:

The work of Susan Strange – A commentary.

To many Susan Strange is the academic mother of international political economy. It was strange who argued that there are four key channels that constitute power – security, production, finance, and knowledge, and that access to financial power is that which had, hitherto, been most overlooked by both economists and political scientists. In commenting on her work, this dissertation first outlines her major contributions to the discipline before critique her work using the counter-analysis of academics such as May (2000??), and Leander (2001). This is primarily a secondary source based dissertation that requires the writer to have a solid knowledge of the work of Strange and would be suitable at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Leander, A. (2001). ‘Dependency today: Finance, firms, Mafias and the State: A review of Susan Strange’s work from a developing country perspective’. Third World Quarterly, vol. 22 (1), pp. 115-128.
• May, C. (1996). ‘Strange fruit: Susan Strange’s theory of structural power in the international political economy’. Global Society: Journal of Interdisciplinary International Relations, vol. 10(2), pp. 167-189.
• Strange, S. (1998). States and markets. London: Continuum.