Foundations of International Political Economy

'A sophisticated but clearly expressed and accessible text. Matthew Watson does an excellent job in drawing out the relevance of classical political economy for students of international political economy today and makes a strong case for the particular importance of Smith, Veblen and Polanyi.' - Herman Schwartz, University of Virginia, USA

Despite a burgeoning debate on substantive issues in IPE, little attention has been devoted to its theoretical foundations. In this important new text, Matthew Watson reviews the main current theoretical approaches to IPE and highlights the problems that arise from treating 'states' and 'markets' as separate and contesting units of analysis.Despite a burgeoning debate on substantive issues in IPE, little attention has been devoted to its theoretical foundations. In this important new text, Matthew Watson reviews the main current theoretical approaches to IPE and highlights the problems that arise from treating 'states' and 'markets' as separate and contesting units of analysis. Foremost among these problems is the lack of attention given to theorizing the constitution of the individual as both an economic agent and a moral being.