HKU Moodle

This course explores the politics of international economic relations. It will focus on the sources and effects of national economic policies affecting trade, immigration, and different forms of international investment. We will also examine some common stressors on national economies in a globalized world and the durability (or fragility) of the liberal order. The objectives of this course are to offer students a deeper appreciation of key problems of the global economy as well as to provide an evidence-based analytical framework for addressing critical policy problems in IPE. This course focuses on causal (positive) theories/explanations of political phenomena but not the specific history or facts of a region or country.

Contact: Professor Nicole Wu (nkwu@hku.hk)

Office hours: Wednesdays 1:30-2:30

[If the library reading list link does not work for you, try the link on the right hand side of the page (first click on the small arrow, and then you'll see it).]

We’re all living in a fast-changing world -- now largely driven by technology and innovation -- from the way how we shop, where we get information, and to the future of financial services. Meanwhile, we acknowledge the biggest challenge to technology and innovation is no longer the development of new technology itself but rather how to get users and policymakers to understand the pros and cons of emerging technologies and then how to apply them to the new digital society in a responsible way as the general public do expect higher efficiency in delivery of public services as well as better control of our own data privacy. Those are the questions and issues we will explore in this course. 

The instructor designs the course based on his first-hand long time experience at Meta (previously known as Facebook) as well as a witness of the rapid changes of regulatory landscapes across the globe, which is becoming more and more divided and the students need to learn and assess which internet governance models will be more desirable and why. We will also touch on geopolitics and learn why technology lies at the heart of growing U.S.-China tensions, for example, AI, electric vehicles, and semiconductor business. Students will also have the opportunities to meet guest speakers from leading technology companies and policymakers as well as accesses to company visits and related industry seminars.

Instructor: George Chen, gschen@hku.hk