El debate entre capitalismo y socialismo adquirió a lo largo del siglo XX una presencia única como consecuencia de su aplicación a lo largo y ancho del planeta. Tras la caída de la Unión Soviética, muchos interpretaron este colapso del mundo socialista como la demostración de su incapacidad para generar progreso, desarrollo y riqueza. Casi tres décadas después, el profesor Miguel Anxo Bastos de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela de España pone sobre la mesa este debate, convencido de la importancia de conocer y discutir sobre las ideas y, sobre todo, sobre las consecuencias de su aplicación práctica.

In this course, Randall Holcombe, Professor of Economics at Florida State University, discusses “Public Choice.” This unique approach to politics is characterized by the application of practical lessons learned in the field of economics. Professor Holcombe treats important figures like Ronald H. Coase and James Buchanan, whose ideas can help us to better understand how and why individuals make political decisions.

In this course, we will examine the contemporary fortune of industrial policy and the so-called “entrepreneurial state”, commonly associated with the work of economist Mariana Mazzucato. Mazzucato argues that government is the primary driver behind innovation and builds her case on historical anecdotes, mainly regarding the US economy. These anecdotes empower her narrative: unlike many European countries, the US did not claim they had an industrial policy and professed to be a market economy. But the true engine of a market economy, Mazzucato hints, is government investment. We will try to assess Mazzucato’s arguments and those of her conservative counterparts. By reading their texts, we will try to see if they master any evidence and which weight can be given to such evidence. We will also try to see to what extent these ideas resemble older fallacies in economic thinking.

Militaries are fighting forces meant to engage external enemies of the nations they represent in combat. But foreign intervention is broader and more complex than placing “boots on the ground.” This course explores topics related to foreign intervention through the lens of political economy and defense and peace economics. We will discuss economic theories of war and the state of research on defense and peace economics. Students will leave the course with an understanding of the economics of civil wars and coups, humanitarian aid, and counterterrorism policies. We will discuss the importance of propaganda in foreign policy, including propaganda in democratic societies. Students will leave the course with a broader understanding of foreign intervention and will be able to recognize the concepts covered in both contemporary and historical contexts.

En este curso, vamos a descifrar las claves del comercio internacional global. Nos adentraremos en los aspectos fundamentales directamente relacionados con el funcionamiento de la industria marítima y el movimiento de materias primas a fin de poder comprender mejor cómo funciona esta compleja e internacional industria y quiénes son sus más relevantes actores a nivel global. Para ello, nos sumergiremos en el apasionante mundo de los ‘fletamentos marítimos’, elemento esencial de control en el suministro de materias primas, y los variados componentes de oferta/demanda, posición/reposición de flota y rutas marítimas principales. Si te parece todo esto tan fascinante como a nosotros, no dudes en embarcarte en esta aventura donde entenderemos mejor el tablero geopolítico–comercial en el cual fuerzas ingentes compiten por la supremacía de su modelo en el ajedrez del poder económico y político.