International Relations Class 7 - Neo-Marxism

International Relations Course Notes - Class 7

• Course: BSPOL 1312, International Relations
• Semester: 2024/2025
• Class: 7 - Development and international relations: Neo-Marxist approaches
• Lecturer: Dr. Valentina Brogna (replacing Prof. Amandine Orsini)

International Studies Theories Overview

• A historical overview of international studies theories is presented in a hierarchical structure.
• Major schools of thought are: Realism, Idealism, Historicism, Behavioralism, Systemic perspective, Foreign policy, Liberalism, Neo-liberalism, Neo-realism, Marxism, Transnationalism, Critical theories, Constructivism, and Post-positivism.
• Debates I-IV are referenced, spanning from the 1920s to the 1990s.

Development Aid and Development Indexes

• Foreword: Development aid and development indexes are related subjects.
• Inequalities and Marxism: Living in a world of inequalities; Marxism's application to international relations
• Neo-Marxist interpretation of international relations:
  • The Dependency School
  • Structuralism - Focus on power structural dynamics, not individual actors

Historical Overview of Development Aid

• Before WWII: Aid was nonexistent or linked to political support.
• After WWII: Aid intensified, particularly with Point IV of Harry Truman's agenda.
• 1960: OECD Committee for development aid formed.
• 1970: The aid target reached 0.7% of GDP.
• 1980s: IMF conditionality led to decreased aid.
• 2000: Millennium Development Goals (8 by 2015).
• 2015: Sustainable Development Goals (17 by 2030).

Liberal Economic Development Theory

• The main drivers of modernization are market economies, free of political interference, growing economic investment, and foreign direct investment.
• Traditional society → modernization → modern society is the model.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• A list of the 8 goals for poverty eradication, universal primary education, gender equality, child mortality, improvement of maternal health, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, environmental sustainability, and a global partnership for development.

Human Development Index (HDI)

• HDI measures three dimensions: life expectancy at birth, education (mean and expected years of schooling), and living standards (GNI per capita).
• Includes 4 indicators for each dimension.

Gender Inequality Index (GII)

• GII measures three dimensions: reproductive health (adolescent fertility and maternal mortality ratios), empowerment (female labor force participation rates and secondary education levels), and economic activity (female labor force participation).
• Includes five indicators.

World Maps - Data Visualisations

• Various world maps displaying data on death rates from unsafe water sources, literacy rates, electricity access, and hunger. These maps represent different aspects of global development.

Key Figures in Neo-Marxist Thought

• Fernando Henrique Cardoso/Faletto Enzo: focused on dependency and development in Latin America.
• Celso Furtado: Chilean economist
• André Gunder Frank: focused on dependencies between countries
• Samir Amin: focused on accumulation at a world scale and de-linking.

Specialisation of Exports in National Economies

• Charts and data on export specialization patterns in different countries, including Belgium and Venezuela.

Economic Trends

• Data on economic growth in developing, transition, and developed economies.
• Charts and data visualisations of economic performance of different regions over time.

Neo-Marxist Approaches to International Relations

• Dependency school, structuralism, and world-systems theory are core concepts highlighted.
• Theoretical figures like Johan Galtung and Immanuel Wallerstein are cited.

World-System Theory

• Wallerstein's theory outlines a world economy consisting of a core, semi-periphery, and periphery.
• The stability of the world economy is impacted by internal dynamics (between core, semi-periphery and periphery)

World-Systems and International relations.

• Key elements of Neo-Marxist thought in international political economy, highlighting the relations between the developed and developing world, the unequal exchange, the role of power structures and their impact on specific regions (and thus countries).

Homework Assignment

• Study session 7 slides and notes to be prepared on Moodle.
• Required reading: Cantoni and Brisbois (2024) "En route to decarbonization".
• Multiple-choice question (MCQ) training on Moodle.

Explore the concepts of neo-Marxist approaches in the context of development and international relations. This quiz will cover major theories from realism to post-positivism and their implications on global inequalities. Deepen your understanding of development aid and its relation to Marxist theory.