Academic management

World Economic History is a 6 ECTS[1]basic core subject that constitutes part of the Historical and Social Analysis module. This subject consists of analysing the evolution of economic life, mainly those of Western societies and their institutions, in terms of growth and development processes. This analysis is made in order to differentiate the ways in which the social preferences for each economic system become defined as well as to understand current economic phenomena through the economic evolution of the past. Special reference will be made to the early modern and modern periods.

[1]European Credit Transfer System.

Role of the subject in the Degree and Prerequisites

Role of the subject in the Degree:

• Economic History can help to gain a better understanding of the origins of economic science and also to shed light on its evolution and the development of economic activity. The relationship with other Economics Degree subjects (micro and macro) is obviously very close and these are necessary to understand economic evolution.

Prerrequisites:

• A minimum knowledge of history, mathematics and statistics and a prior course in Economics would be recommendable, though not necessary.

• Competencies and Learning Outcomes

General competencies also called transversal competencies.

The instrumental, interpersonal and systemic competencies required by the standard training of the subject are described in the Tuning Project general competencies list. The outstanding competencies among those mentioned are the following:

General Competencies:

CG1 • Capability for analysis and synthesis.

CG2 • Learning capability.

CG3 • Capability for fluent oral and written communication in English.

CG4 • Knowledge and understanding of other languages, mainly Spanish. Second language is also appreciated.

CG5 • Skill at searching for and analysing information in the working environment.

CG8 • Capability for teamwork

CG10 • Critical and self-critical capability

CG17 • Negotiation capability

CG20 • Values and ethics

CG21 • Integration of democratic values and of the culture of peace in the working environment

CG22 • Integration of the principles of equal treatment and opportunities for men and women in the working environment

CG23 • Integration of the principles of equal opportunities and universal access for the disabled in the working environment

Specific Competencies

CE1 • Knowledge of the legal and social background to economic activity

CE2 • Inclusion of the historical perspective in the analysis of economic thinking and phenomena

CE6 • Understand the institutional environment and its impact on economic activity

CE11 • Understand an assess the way economic agents inter-relate

CE17 • Transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions from economics to either a specialist

Learning outcomes

We intend to understand how, in the long run, the different forms of social preferences were combined within each economic system. Economic phenomena of the present might be understandable through a knowledge of the economic evolution of the past, as past economic performance influences current phenomena.

Having studied the subject World Economic History, students should be able to attain, at least, the following learning outcomes:

RA5.1: To know and to identify how the different forms of the social preferences had became more definite within each economic system.

RA5.2: To understand and to distinguish the economic phenomena of the present through the knowledge of the economic evolution of the past.

RA5.3: To know connecting and/ or justifying the creation of the economic institutions related with economic policies developed.

RA5.6: To know and to analyse the structure and the functioning of the political systems and the political institutions and their potential influence on the entrepreneurial and economic activity.

Unit 1. Economic change in the long run

Economic systems and their outcomes through history. From hunter-gatherers to global capitalism.

Unit 2. Preindustrial economies

The technological and institutional framework of preindustrial economies. Preindustrial economic change and its social outcomes.

Unit 3. Nineteenth-century industrialization

Industrial revolution and capitalist society. Economic growth and its social outcomes in Great Britain. The spread of industrialization across Europe and the United States. The economic backwardness of the non-Western world.

Unit 4. The world economy during the twentieth century

The second industrial revolution and "coordinated capitalism". Cycles of growth and crisis in capitalist economies. Centrally planned economies. The economies of the "Third World".

Unit 5. Global capitalism in the last few decades

The third industrial revolution and the globalization of capitalism. Economic and social outcomes of global capitalism.

Our working plan combines presential and non-presential activities.

Presential activities are of three types. Firstly, lectures in which the main contents of the course will be presented. Secondly, practical classes in which we will go deeper into those contents by means of texts, maps and other historical sources, as well as by means of exercise solving. And, thirdly, evaluation sessions.

Non-presential activities that students are expected to undertake are about working autonomously on the course's contents, preparing commissioned exercises, presentations or other practical tasks (which may be individual or team tasks), and preparing the course's final exam.

Note: To this we add 4 hours of "Evaluation sessions", which leads to a final number of 60 hours of presential work and 150 total hours.

Exceptionally, if the sanitary situation requires it so, activities of non-presential learning may be added. In that case, students will be informed of any changes.

Finally, note that a Code of Ethics of the University of Oviedo has been recently approved. This can be consulted on the University web page (https://www.uniovi.es/en/launiversidad/panoramica/codigoetico).

This course's evaluation will be comprised of continuous evaluation (40% of the grade) and final evaluation (60%). Continuous evaluation will take place through a series of tests, papers and presentations that will be defined more precisely as the semester proceeds, as well as through students' active participation in the classroom. Final evaluation will be based on an exam with several questions related to both the theoretical and the practical parts of the course.

If students have been given permission for differentiated evaluation, the final grade will correspond to a maximum of 10 points from the final exam.

Exceptionally, if the sanitary situation requires it so, systems of non-presential evaluation may be implemented. If so, students will be informed of any changes.

ALDCROFT, Derek H., The european economy, 1914-2000, Routledge, 2001.

CAMERON, Rondo/ NEAL, Larry,  A concise economic history of the World. From Paleolithic Times to the Present,  Oxford University Press, New York, 2003.

HOBSBAWM, Eric, Age of Extremes. The short twentieth century, 1914-1991, Abacus, London, 1996.

LANDES, David S., The wealth and poverty of nations. Why some are so rich and some so poor, Little, Brown and Company, London, 1998.

LANDRETH, Harry/ COLANDER, David C., History of Economic Theory, Hougton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1989.

NORTH, Douglas C., Structure and change in economic history, W. W. Norton & Company, 1982.

PERSSON, Karl Gunnar, An economic history of Europe. Knowledge, Institutions and Growth. 600 to the Present, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2010.

POLLARD, Sidney, Peaceful conquest: The industrialization of Europe, 1760-1970, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1981.

Di VITTORIO, Antonio (dir.), An Economic History of Europe: from Expansion to Development, London, Routledge, 2006.

The reports or the handbooks recommended for each topic. Moreover, there are other references apart from those cited in the basic bibliography for specific parts of the programme (theoretical and practical). Please have a look to the topic references inside the note book.

Main web pages

http://www.uc3m.es/uc3m/dpto/HISEC/general/recursos_online.html

http://www.upf.edu/iuhjvv/index.htm

http://www.economics.harvard.edu/

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/economicHistory/

http://www.iue.it/

http://www.aehe.net/