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POL30820

Academic Year 2024/2025

Political Risk and Foreign Direct Investment (POL30820)

Subject:
Politics
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Politics & Int Relations
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Krishna Chaitanya Vadlamannati
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This course provides an introduction and a review of the field of political risk - a field that focuses on the socio-political events, characteristics and processes that can negatively impact the multinational companies' achievement. More specifically, it involves the often conflictual interface between foreign investors and host country governments. The lectures support to several branches of scholarly literature, including the literature on international business, international political economy, civil and corporate social responsibility, comparative politics and, not least, international politics. Many topics will be discussed in the course, viz., economic nationalism, the relationship between governance and foreign investors; natural resource sector and political risk, security risk, expropriation and nationalization; obsolete bargaining mechanism risk; regime type and political risk; risk of extraterritoriality; and political risk analysis. Thus, the course provides a deeper understanding on various types of political risks which affect the goals of multinational companies. The course also discusses various different types of instruments which help multinational companies stave off political risk.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

1. Basic understanding of theories on FDI and political risk.
2. Understanding and distinguishing various types of political risk.
3. Ability to assess in detail the various types of political risks affecting FDI.
4. Why political risk varies from country to country?
5. Ability to select the appropriate risk mitigation strategy for a range of different types of political risks facing FDI.
6. Understanding political risk analysis applications and assessment techniques.

Indicative Module Content:

The key topics that will be addressed in this module include:

FDI theories, the relationship between governance and foreign investors, economic nationalism; natural resource sector and political risk, security risk, expropriation and nationalization; regime type and political risk. The other key topics include: political risk analysis and identifying various types of instruments which help multinational companies stave off political risk.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

20
Autonomous Student Learning

200
Total

220

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The teaching and learning approaches used in this module will be as follows:

1. Lectures
2. Intensive class discussions.
3. Critical writing; Review of published research work
4. Problem-based learning
5. Case study-based learning

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Recommendations:

The module is designed for those who are interested and want to specialize in the field of: International Political Economy, Comparative Political Economy and International Development Studies.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Equivalents:
Pol Risk & Foreign Investment (POL30440)


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Group Work Assignment: A group task involving a simulation exercise, accounting for 30% of the overall grade, is administered throughout the semester. Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 10, Week 11 Graded No
30
 No
Exam (In-person): A 55-minute in-class midterm exam, contributing 35% of the overall grade. Week 10 Graded No
35
 No
Exam (In-person): A 55-minute in-class exam towards the end of the term, contributing 35% of the overall grade. Week 14 Graded No
35
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

1) Feedback is given to the group following the assessment of their group presentation. 2) Written feedback is provided to each student on their in-class exam papers (midterm and end of term) within 20 working days of the exam, in accordance with university policy.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33 Tues 15:00 - 15:50
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