King's College London

Course essentials

This Political Economy of Emerging Markets MSc looks at the big questions of political economy in emerging markets today. You’ll explore the relationship between states, markets and institutions and consider how economic growth has been promoted in different national contexts. You’ll also earn which public policies and industrial policies have been most effective, how different financial systems help or hinder development, and study the role of global value chains in growth and development.

Your emerging markets and political economy master’s in the political economy of emerging markets is comprised of three required modules. 

You’ll begin your studies with a module that will teach you the core theories and concepts of political economy of development by engaging you critically with the history and theoretical trajectories of major paradigms in this field. As well as giving you an overview of cutting-edge debates around the political economy of development in emerging economies, this module will also give you the foundational knowledge you need for subject-specific modules later in the programme.

Another required module takes a closer look at states, markets and the institutional basis of growth. You’ll explore the global economy and the position of emerging markets compared with large international players, while taking a historical view of the impact that policies have on the political economy.

You’ll also need to take at least one research methods related module during your Political Economy of Emerging Markets MSc, designed to build essential skills you’ll need to produce a dissertation later. If you want to specialise in qualitative research, you can take an introductory course that will teach you a range of qualitative techniques such as interviews, focus groups, participant observation, thematic qualitative data analysis and visual, embodied and art-based methodologies — as well as how to design research, analyse and evaluate your data, and consider the ethics of research.

It’s also possible to learn more about quantitative methods for social science. An introductory module will take you through statistical tools and concepts, equipping you with the skills to summarise data, visualise data, make statistical inference, sample and extrapolate data, assess significance of confidence intervals and consider the misuse of statistics.

You may build on existing research skills by taking an advanced module in qualitative or quantitative research. These specialist modules will teach you not just how to conduct research but enable you to evaluate the quality of research, just like a scientific peer reviewer would.

The rest of your political economy of emerging markets master’s will be shaped by your interests, as you’ll get to choose five optional modules. For example, you could specialise in studying the policy challenges that face emerging economies and take modules in comparative public policy analysis, multinational enterprises, finance for development, environment and development, feminist economics and crisis, power and transformation. You might also decide to develop your regional expertise, with specialist modules looking at the political economy of Latin America or the rise of China and further teaching on East Asia, Africa and beyond. Should you wish to spend more time developing your research skills, you may also choose an additional research methods module, too.

It’s possible to take a couple of modules from other departments across the university, subject to approval. This includes the opportunity to take an additional language module from the King’s

Language Centre, with options including Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean and beyond.

Alongside your political economy of emerging markets studies, you’ll benefit from a thriving student community that encourages you to network with students from other master’s focusing on emerging economies. There are a range of extracurricular activities to enhance your experience beyond the classroom, including sessions on how to apply for a PhD or guest talks from alumni sharing their career experiences.

You’ll be based in the heart of London, with a host of institutions within walking distance and a number of events happening on your doorstep. You could attend a book launch one evening, join a research conference the next day, and network with emerging economy experts the following afternoon.

And when you graduate, you’ll join a network of Political Economy of Emerging Markets MSc alumni working across the globe.