GPE 4700 is the capstone of the Advanced Degree program. Students work closely with the instructor and a faculty advisor developing and demonstrating their research skills and interdisciplinary perspective by producing a major political economy research paper. Students meet in class on a regular basis to discuss the research process, to develop an answerable research question through conversation with the instructor and classmates, to analyze examples of political economy research, and to work through methodological questions. Additionally, students meet individually with the instructor and in peer groups to address challenges in the research process, develop strategies for overcoming obstacles, and share research findings.
Past topics for GPE 4700 papers include:
"The Blame Game: Conflicting Perceptions of the Deforestation in the Selva Lacandona, Mexico"
"Intellectual Property Rights and Agriculture in India: Internationalization and Resistance"
"Water Down the Drain: Scarcity and Commodification in a Neo-liberal World”
"Urban-led Development in Post-Reform China: Lessons and Implications”
"The Wall: Facts, Analysis, and Implications” A presentation on the Separation Wall in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank.
"Privatization in Canada: Panacea or Plunder?”
"Intellectual Property Rights Contested: Online File-Sharing and the Free Music Philosophy”
"McDonalds and Nannies: The Political Economy of the Home Economy”
"Who is Dependent on Whom?: An Examination of Transnational Labour Migration within North America and the Application of this Analysis Globally”
“U.S. Hegemony and the New Political Economy”
“Are International Intellectual Property Rights Agreements Good for Development?: Perspectives from India”
“Food Forethought: Issues in the Regulation of Biotechnology in Canada”
“Great Wal of China: Wal-Mart's Place in the Global Political Economy”
“Capitalism, Consumption and Population: Understanding Sustainability”
“Unstitching the Ready-Made Garment Industry in Bangladesh”
"Fair Trade, Starbucks, and Corporate Social Responsibility: An Examination of Starbucks' Support of Fair Trade"
"The Islamic Financial System: A Just Alternative"
"The Millennium Development Goals and Human Development"
"Neohumanism: Alternatives to Neoliberal Development in Brazil"
"Conflict-Induced Migration: The Case of Southern Sudan"
"Venezuela and Hugo Chavez: 21st Century Socialism"
"Micro-Crediting: Finding a Place in Development"
"The Betrayal of Redistribution: The African National Congress, Neoliberalism, and Land Reform in South Africa"
“‘You Can’t Jump a Chasm in Two Leaps’: A Case Study of the Millennium Villages Projects as a Viable Big Push Agricultural Development Strategy”
“Self-Sufficient Innovative Capacity Versus Obeying the IP Regime: A Study of Intellectual Property Rights in China”
“Biofuels for Development: Benefits, Barriers and the Future of Ethanol in the Developing World”
“Explaining Botswana’s Success: A Comparison of Development in Ghana and Botswana”
“Determining Identity and Community in a Global World: Who Creates the Modern Citizen?”
“The Labouring Poor or General Immiseration: The Revival of Thought in Welfare Economics”
”Alternatives to Conventional Fuel: A Reexamination of the Potential of Nuclear Power””
“Information and Communication Technologies and their Diffusion throughout the Developing World: ‘Please leave development and economic growth after the beep’”
“One Stitch at a Time: Unraveling Child Labour in the Bangladesh Garment Industry”
“Fixing our Daily Fix: Problems and Solutions of the Global Coffee Economy”
“Is it Worth it?: The Alberta Tar Sands”
“A Case Study from India: The Push of Global Products and Instances of Resistance”
“Mega Cities and Slums: An Analysis of Urbanization in the Developing World”
“The Kindling of a Flame: Achieving Universal Primary Education”
"Attaining Independence: Why States Receive International Recognition"
"The Absence of an Anti-Famine Political Contract: A Cause of Famine?"
"Confronting Consumption: State Responses in an Overconsuming World"
"Democracy in America: How the Neoliberal Age of Finance has Degraded Democratic Power in the US"
"The Potential for Institutional Change to a Solar-Powered Economy"
"Gas Disputes Between Russia and Ukraine: The Underlying Causes and Possible Solutions"
"States and Democracy: The Plausible Potential of Public Service Broadcasting"
"Canadian Development Assistance: A model of pluralist cooperation, or multilateral adherence?"
Fall 2011 / Winter 2012 Course Outline
2010-11 R. Kueneman Prize for Best GPE Paper:
Lonnie Kehler. " REDD: An Analysis of the Mechanisms for Delivering Justice to Indigenous Populations."
Ms. Kehler's paper examines the burgeoning arena of REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) as it impacts indigenous and local communities in the South. As institutions like the World Bank and the United Nations pursue forest conservation projects throughout the South as a means of reducing global carbon emissions, concerns over the implications of these projects on local forest users have been expressed, but are being marginalized in the pursuit of the establishment of a global market in carbon offsets. Ms. Kehler's paper looks at the mechanisms in place in three REDD programs and evaluates their robustness, and their capacity to deliver along three dimensions of environmental justice--distribution, participation, and recognition. The paper also draws on existing case studies of REDD projects already in place, to evaluate the extent to which early projects have been just in their treatment and involvement of local and indigenous populations. Ms. Kehler is now enrolled in the Masters program at the University of Waterloo's department of Environment and Resource Studies.