Bachelor
2025/2026
Economic History
Type:
Elective course (International Programme in Economics and Finance)
Area of studies:
Economics
Delivered by:
International College of Economics and Finance
When:
3 year, 3, 4 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Evgeniy Kutsenko
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
4
Course Syllabus
Abstract
a.Pre-requisitesStudents are supposed to be competent in basic economic theory and economic statistics. Students are also expected to be familiar with the introduction to macroeconomics. b.Abstract:The course examines the key cases of the economic development of human society. We will answer the following questions:•Why did the Neolithic revolution (the transition to agriculture) take place, why did the average income fall during the transition to civilization, and why did the states cover the entire planet•Why did Eurasia take over America, and not vice versa?•How did it happen that despite almost a thousand years of dominance in the economy of China and India, the industrial revolution took place in Europe?•How has fertility determined the economy throughout human history, and why is demography “not working” now?•Why did slavery and serfdom return in modern times? What were the economic backgrounds for slavery in the 19th century, and why did the American Civil War in fact occur?•What causes led the world to the Great Depression? What lessons can we learn from the economic policy of the authorities of that time?•Why do poor countries still exist? Why, despite the accumulated baggage of knowledge about the development of the economy, the authorities of many countries are in no hurry to put them into practice?•How did the agrarian crises destroy the Russian Empire?•How did Stalin industrialize?•Why did the Soviet Union collapse?•Why are there many scientists in Russia, but few innovators?The course is aimed at providing knowledge for critical analysis of the global issues of human economic development. The selected topics either cover the gaps in current educational programs or are directly related to the actual challenges of the global economy and Russia, in particular: the causes of long-term economic growth, migration, economic crises, globalization, political background for economic policy.A special place (4 lectures) in the course is devoted to the history of the Russian economy. The selected plots are key to understanding the current situation and further crossroads of development.Within the course (the last 4 seminars), students will be given the opportunity to choose and study the case of the professional career of a Russian inventor (periods of the Russian Empire and the USSR), to understand the conditions and factors for a successful invention, the economic and social effects of implementing innovations, and the further trajectory of the inventor's professional development.The course is based on modern monographs and articles by the world's leading economic historians.