Summary
An academic area of examination may be deduced to exist when a logical body of knowledge is built to define topic of inquiry. Acknowledged levels come to be used to certify and train specialists; full-time job opportunities become obtainable in university research and teaching; learned societies are established to promote study and dialogue; and publishing sites become available to aid disseminate new ideologies and analysis. In a nutshell, an institutionalized system of scholars comes into being, a distinct study community with its own limitations, rewards.
The International political economy (IPE) is less than 50 years old since its inception. According to Gilpin (43) IPE (an academic field of study) is about technical connections between political and economic activity at the standard of international affairs. Before 1970s, in the English speaking countries, political science and economics were treated differently discipline wise; each with its own perceptions in international affairs. Strings were pulled to bridge the gap between the two. A board-based movement to merge the different disciplines of international relations and economic- to form IPE- was of current origin.
Talking on a global platform, the widely known version of IPE is- the American where most scholarship hews close to the conventional social science’s norms. In American schools, credit is given to the scientific method. Positivism and empiricism are the key principles they base their analysis from where: systematic setting, objective, and observation are taken into account.
In Britain, the IPE is very ambitious to its agenda and less married to scientific method. The difference between the American and the Britain IPE is a question of different branch of a unanimous research society. Nevertheless, the questions that disturbs people the most is -why is American IPE so different from the Britain’s? In addition, how should we act on this? To help in the promotion of IPE as an academic field bridges has to be constructed across the transatlantic divide: where schools are employed to create the links by separately designing their own common language to communicate. As result, this paper is going to talk about the methodologies to employed to help build transatlantic divide
2. Approaches and findings, 3. Issues requiring detailed explanation, 4. Interpretation of findings
In the building of transatlantic divide, there is the question of epistemology and ontology. According to the Greeks, ontology is studying the reality: studying nature, studying its essential properties and studying its relation of being. In some cases, it is a synonym of cosmology or metaphysics. For instance, in social science it is employed as a synonym for examining our stay on earth. Epistemology on the other hand has to do with the approaches and the grounds of knowing.
With reference to ontology, the American school upholds determinedly state-centric giving honor to the sovereign governments at large. The British school on the other hand treats the country as just single agents among many if all countries were to be involved American schools find IPE very essential as a subset of IR, in spreading political science subject’s central preoccupation with citizen policy. The main object of examination is restricted to questions of system of governance and state behavior.
The key purpose for theory is explanation. For the English, IPE is very inclusive: very open to connections to other field of inquiry. To them the key purpose of a theory is judgment.
In epistemology, the Americans remain married to the principles of empiricism and positivism. Parsimonious reasoning and deductive logic are used to search for universal truth. Formal research approaches are used to test hypothesis and enhance cumulative know-how. Britain on the other hand uses less formal approaches. In short the two (American and the Britain school) are only separated by their culture and the language – they share the same subject is the same. It is fair if student are subjected to either side of the divide.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the IPE is an academic field of study about technical connections between the political and economic activity at the standard of international affairs. The American version is the widely used one worldwide-where most scholarship hews close to the conventional social science’s norms. The Americans treasure the scientific method. They base their analysis on the key principles- positivism and empiricism- where there is a systematic setting, objective and observation.
The Briton’s IPE on the other hand is agenda driven (very ambitious) and less committed to the scientific method. The variance between the American and the Britain IPE is the question of variant branch of a unanimous research society. In order to promote IPE as field of study there is need build bridges along the transatlantic divide.
In epistemology then Americans use formal research approaches like test hypothesis and enhancing cumulative know-how. Britain on the other hand uses less formal approaches. In a nutshell, for the transatlantic divide bridges to be built the American and the Britain school have to learn to enlighten their students on the different type of IPE since they have different culture, language and probably the way the carry out their procedure.
