Courses

COURSES

The process of European economic integration

Bachelor’s Degree in Economics; 3rd and 4th years

This course provides a long-run view of the origins and historical developments of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Union (EU) since the 1950s in a macroeconomic history perspective. It focuses on the two main outcomes of European integration: the establishment of a Single Market and the introduction of a Single Currency – two side of the same coin (“one market, one money”) according to the official view of European institutions. The course provides analytical insights on both aspects of European integration and critically discusses their complementarity.

Learning is structured in three modules. The first one provides the necessary historical background in order to understand the unique characteristics of European integration as a process of “institutional integration” in different policy areas, leading over time to a Europe-wide system of multilevel governance. The second and third modules deal with the origins and consequences of the Single Market and the EMU (Economic and Monetary Union), respectively. In both modules, key concepts from macroeconomic theory are used to understand the policy dilemmas that in different historical periods motivated European governments’ search for a regional area of economic integration, exchange rate stability and monetary coordination

European Politics

BA in Political Science and in International Studies and dual BAs with Law, Economics and Sociology

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European countries’ domestic politics are becoming more and more intertwined with the continent’s supranational developments. The course’s main objective is to apply political science’s theoretical tools to the continent’s emerging multilevel political system.

We will do so by focusing on the different elements of the European Union (EU) political regime, institutions, actors, and the underlying political, economic, legal and social community.

The course covers the rationale for European integration as reflected in its history, the political, the legal and institutional design of the European political system, as well as the political, legal and democratic legitimacy of those institutions and policies. Practical exercises and debates, where we will be applying the concepts and theories from lectures to current political developments in Europe, will enhance students’ understanding of those complex multilevel dynamics. The course includes a practice called the “EU Simulation Game”.

The aim of this exercise is to teach, through the medium of a simulation game, about the rules and constraints of decision-making in a multi-level context of European integration. The simulation game allows the students to experience what drives negotiation processes and what explains the outcomes of EU decision-making.

The Politics of EU Legal Integration

MA in European Economic Governance

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The goal of this course is to provide students with an interdisciplinary perspective to explore the intersection between law and politics in the EU. The course builds upon previous knowledge of the students about the foundations of EU law and political institutions, and it deploys it to analyze the most recent developments from the ‘law & politics’ and ‘judicial politics’ domain. It offers new insights about how law is deeply intertwined with the EU policy-making process.

In particular, the course deepens students’ knowledge by adding a legal perspective to their current approach to political institutions. This course enables political science students, but also students from other interrelated disciplines, such as Law, History, Sociology, Economics, to critically discuss how EU law shapes politics, and vice versa. During the course, students discuss the limitations and opportunities provided by combining political and legal perspectives. Reflecting on this complementarity give students an added value that improve their career prospects as researchers, lawyers, policy-makers, judges, civil servants, etc. Moreover, it enhances their capacity to assess their political reality as citizens. All in all, by integrating knowledge and hands-on practice in EU law and politics, students develop a deep understanding of the dynamics that rule the relations between these two disciplines, empowering them to become agents of legal and policy change within European societies

EU Economic Policy-Making

MA in European Economic Governance

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The goal of this course is to provide master students with an interdisciplinary perspective to explore the policy-making process of the European Union. The course builds upon previous knowledge of the students about the foundations of the European Union, and it deploys it to analyze the most recent developments in EU affairs. It offers new insights about how policy-making is deeply intertwined with economic, legal or social systems of the Union. The course approaches the European Union as a political, legal, economic and social system and deepens in the students’ knowledge of the main theories of integration and governance of the European Union (neo-functionalism, intergovernmentalism, constructivism, etc.).

The course also explains the different modes of policy-makings in the European Union and how they are shaped by diverse economic, legal and social factors. The first part of the course provides students with the essential interdisciplinary analytical frameworks necessary for understanding the Union. We discuss the EU as a multi-level political system, constitutional framework, economic system and society and the interaction and integration of these systems within the different modes of policy-making in the EU. Throughout the second section of the course the students apply these theoretical frameworks to understand a broad range of important policy areas such as single market policies, social policies and employment, agriculture, environmental policy, and justice and home affairs. In each policy area, we consider the role of all the different relevant political, economic, legal and social and civil society actors engaged in multilevel decision-making both at the national and EU level. Ultimately, the goal of the different sessions is to conduct a theoretically informed analysis of why specific policies develop the way they do and to understand what is really going on in EU decision-making

The Political Economy of the Euro

MA in European Economic Governance

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The process of European Monetary Union took off after the 1970s stagflation and exchange rate crises. It became fulfilled in the late 1990s: the era of free-market capitalism and the “end of history.” Can this system—as well as the social and political forces that underpinned its creation—adapt to an age of economic inequality, social polarization, climate change, and geopolitical conflict? The course provides an overview of key issues in the political economy of the Euro, emphasizing their historical evolution and current status.

They include: 1) The history and challenges of European economic governance, focusing on the links between ideas and interests in the fields of international political economy (IPE) and comparative political economy (CPE) 2) The evolution of monetary arrangements and policies at the EU level, emphasizing the shifting role of central banks throughout the past decades, as well as the relationship between transformation in macroeconomic regimes and socio-political change 3) The conditions that underpin successful currency areas, as well as the causes and consequences of the 2008 financial crisis and the 2010-12 Eurozone crisis 4) Transformations of EU economic governance introduced by the necessity of responding to Euroscepticism, populism, the Covid-19 crisis, war in Ukraine, climate change, and the return of inflation 5) Prospects for European integration in light of the above developments 5) Prospects for European integration in light of the above developments

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LAW

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It analyses, explains and transmits the regulation of the different forms of industrial property in the European Union, as well as the international aspects of the same (patents, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, domain names, business secrets and competition law). It must be understood that in today’s world, the development of science and technology is taking place at a dizzying pace and there is no doubt that only those companies and operators who invest part of their profits in the purpose of innovating will be able to access the market with the required conditions of competitiveness. Industrial property becomes the axis and foundation on which economic growth and the transfer of knowledge and technology revolve. Always relating it to the environment that surrounds us, in particular, to the circular, digitalised, globalised and sustainable economy.

The aim is to reflect on innovation and development, which is vital in today’s economy, based on technology and the high capacity to generate new products and services. Today’s economy is more demanding, where the creative and inventive movement, as well as ingenuity, proves to be the great mechanism of differentiation between companies, especially when thinking beyond borders. In this context, intellectual property in a broad sense and industrial property emerge as an integral part of the management of new companies and their distinctive character, as well as the protection of results achieved during the innovative process, with training actions and concrete information on the certainty of the property conferred and its economic potential. New phenomena associated with industrial property, such as Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse, as well as 3D printing, are also included.

European Union Law

Degree in Law

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In this context, intellectual property in the broadest sense and industrial property emerge as an integral part of the management of new businesses and their distinctive character, as well as the protection of the results achieved during the innovation process, with training and concrete information on the certainty of the conferred property and its economic potential.

The course begins with the origin and evolution of the European Communities and the EU, highlighting key treaties such as the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Treaty of Nice and the Treaty of Lisbon. It then delves into EU law, exploring primary and secondary sources, including regulations, directives, decisions and non-binding acts such as recommendations and opinions. An important part of the course focuses on the normative principles governing the relationship between EU law and the legal systems of the Member States. This includes the study of the principles of primacy, direct effect and state liability for non-compliance with Union law.

The course also examines the institutional framework of the EU, detailing the roles and functions of the main institutions such as the European Commission, the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the EU.

Students will learn about the EU jurisdictional system, covering legal actions such as annulment, omission and preliminary rulings. The course also analyzes the legal bases of EU competences, the types of EU powers and the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.The application of EU law in Spain is another fundamental topic, focusing on the principles governing the application of EU law by national authorities, including constitutional, administrative and judicial aspects. The course addresses the role of the autonomous communities in European integration.

Los estudiantes aprenderán sobre el sistema jurisdiccional de la UE, abarcando acciones legales como la anulación, la omisión y las cuestiones prejudiciales. El curso también analiza las bases jurídicas de las competencias de la UE, los tipos de poderes de la UE y los principios de subsidiariedad y proporcionalidad.La aplicación del Derecho de la UE en España es otro tema fundamental, centrándose en los principios que rigen la aplicación del Derecho de la UE por parte de las autoridades nacionales, incluidos los aspectos constitucionales, administrativos y judiciales. El curso aborda el papel de las comunidades autónomas en la integración europea.