210122 SE M9: East European Studies (2023W)

The seminar locates the East European political economies within major topics, debates, and approaches in comparative political economy. Many of the concepts and theories of comparative political economy have been developed to explain divergence and convergence among advanced capitalist countries, while neglecting the east. At the same time, the specific challenges of the East European socio-economic transformations after the fall of the wall have led to intense efforts at theorizing and explaining the specificities of East European market economies. Building on both strands in the literature, the seminar traces the emergence of East European capitalism, its varieties, and its challenges after the Great Financial Crisis. Throughout the course, Eastern European political economies will be compared to each other, to other European and non-European political economies.
By the end of the course, students should have a basic overview over the current research agenda in comparative political economy and of the specificities of East European capitalisms. The course seeks to enhance students’ critical-analytical thinking as well as basic academic skills – i.e. writing, presenting and providing constructive feedback.