ABSTRACT
Political economy has a venerable tradition, going back to the classical economists. Despite the existence of such a tradition, international political economy is not a cyclical fad, but an upward spiral; the concerns of political economy are usually quite different than those of the classics. Political science has been fragmented along its own lines, which has hindered research into important topics in what is international political economy. International political economy bridges the gap left between the manifold traditions in both economics and political science. The literature on endogenous tariff theory, for instance, is largely the product of economists with links to comparative politics. Much of international political economy, like economics, relies upon the methodological assumption of rational choice. Much work in the field of political economy, by focusing on individual utility maximization and on mutually beneficial exchange theories, excludes power and domination.
