Economics | UNDERGRAD SEMINAR IN ECONOMICS
E390 | 1738 | von Furstenberg
Economics , NAFTA and Worldwide Economic Integration
E390 , 1738 , von Furstenberg
Prerequisites: E201, E202, (E321 for E390 credit)
Also meets: International Economics Course Distribution Requirement,
Offered: Fall Semester 1999
By: George M. von Furstenberg, Rudy Professor of Economics, 5-4764
The course starts with close study of the North American Free Trade
Agreement, including the supplemental agreements on labor and
environmental cooperation. It then uses knowledge of the relevant
provisions to begin to form an assessment of worldwide economic
integration and the factors that shape it. What are the driving forces
behind regional and global economic integration, how is the process
organized, and what are the consequences and safeguards?
The NAFTA and other regional groupings in this hemisphere intersect
with national jurisdiction on the one hand and jurisdiction by the
World Trade Organization on the other. The conflicts that arise, for
instance in the application of national competition, regulation, and
antidumping statutes are subject to settlement by multinational
panels. The study of some of these findings shows how economic
argumentation is brought into play in the real world.
The consequences of regional economic integration, for instance for
U.S. factory workers, and for production networking and plant location
decisions are also explored, not only in theoretical models.
Well-prepared interviews are conducted with the management of major
multinational corporations or subsidiaries in the area such as Thomson
Multimedia in Carmel, IN, or Cummins Engine Co. and Arvin Industries
in Columbus, IN. All of these corporations have substantial operations
in many other countries, including Mexico.
Overall, this is an online research and reporting-intensive course,
hospitable to students who combine an interest in economics with
business, journalism, political science, law, Spanish Language
Studies, or any aspect of hemispheric studies. Normally conducted
without formal exams, the
course is designed for motivated students eager to break away into the
real world through concrete case studies.