Since the 1980’s the world is experiencing an accelerated economic integration of the countries and the regions. Even though this integration itself has started long before, in the 21st Century we have a world that is economically integrated at a level, which allows it to be studied as a whole.

This has been a challenge for the economics academia. Up to this point economics as science had usually taken nations and countries as the largest unit. Two fields related to world economics, development economics, and international economics, were also following this trend, by taking countries as units, and then defining the relationship between these countries and the rest of the world. 

This course invites the students to learn about and to be part of the challenge of defining, understanding, thinking and discussing the economic system of the world.

In the first part of the course, the data and the theories on the world economy and historical process, that formed the world economy will be overviewed. In the second part, the components of the world economy will be looked upon, lastly, the world economy as a whole and future scenarios for its development will be overviewed.

Every week, in addition to the overview of the subject of the week, also a specific issue related to the world economy will also be introduced and discussed. The students are expected to lead these discussions in the second part of the course.