Posted: September 16th, 2017

What are the differentiating features of neo-realism from classical (realism) approaches? (Include at least two examples to show how they would explain the case differently)

What are the differentiating features of neo-realism from classical (realism) approaches? (Include at least two examples to show how they would explain the case differently)

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What are the differentiating features of neo-realism from classical (realism) approaches? (Include at least two examples to show how they would explain the case differently)

Backbone:
Read the realism section in Ch1 of the Smith/El-Anis e-book & the neo-realism section of Ch 2 in this same book. These will tell you the main characteristics to use as the backbone of your essay.

International Political Economy in the 21st Century
Author: Roy Smith, Imad El-Anis And Christopher Farrands. Pages: 254 Publisher: Routledge Ltd
Published: Jan 21, 2014
eISBN-13: 9781315837246

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=toirAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=developed+to+analyse+the+complex+economic+governance+of+the+global+economy,+economic+institutions,+foreign+debt+crisis,+and+issues+surrounding+regional+interdependence.&source=bl&ots=D3kdkqjLd0&sig=C8ZyC_5rPp1BbRobYmijM9xmoGw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sSBEVbjUKpDiaov6gaAD&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=developed%20to%20analyse%20the%20complex%20economic%20governance%20of%20the%20global%20economy%2C%20economic%20institutions%2C%20foreign%20debt%20crisis%2C%20and%20issues%20surrounding%20regional%20interdependence.&f=false

Read also the part on realism in Ravenhill.

Further reading:
Sections on theory on various IPE texts:

O’Brian, R./Williams, M. 2010: Global Political Economy. Evolution and Dynamics. 3rd edition. Palgrave Macmillan (Basingstoke)
Frieden, J./Lake, D. (eds.) 2000: International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power and Wealth. 4th edition. St. Martins Press (New York)
Balaam, D.N./Veseth, M. 2008: Introduction to International Political Economy. 4th edition
Gilpin, R. 2001: Global Political Economy. Understanding the International Economic Order, Princeton University Press (New Jersey)

Follow further readings listed at the end of these chapters.
Key neo-realist authors (from 1950s-60s onwards) Robert Gilpin, Stephen Krasner (there’s a chapter by him in Frieden and Lake on Moodle), Kenneth Waltz. Using the Library search, Google Scholar or Web of Knowledge you can find articles by them (some may be very challenging for Year 1)
Mercantilism, 19th Century economic nationalism can be considered classical realist IPE approaches
Remember that it is always tricky to categorise things- and it’s impossible with people and scholars, so some authors will refer to classical approaches with some categories and other will use slightly different labels- Use common sense on this- you can follow the categories of one author (and say so) or state that they apply different categories.

Examples:
Include at least one more current example (post-1970s), but you may use old examples too.
Examples can be looking at how the theories understand a theme (e.g. rise of multinational corporation, trade, factory relocation) or a particular event/incident (e.g. EU-China solar panel dispute, the 1973 oil crisis, unbalanced US-China trade relationship).
You can use examples from materials you have read, or something relevant you’ve seen in the media (e.g. USA rejecting Huawei mobile phones over fears of espionage). You need to elaborate the examples (they should be longer than 1 line) and need to show how it illustrates the argument you are making.
Structure:
No set-in stone rules on this. You must have an introduction that points out the main issues you’ll raise and a conclusion. You want your essay to be as clear as possible.
You can weave your examples into the sections on the characteristics if you want or have separate example/case studies where you apply the theories. The former is probably slightly better, but if it is going to make your essay less clear avoid it. Remember clarity is your top concern.