MARK COPELOVITCH
Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs
I am a professor in the Department of Political Science and the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. I study and teach international political economy and international relations, with an emphasis on the political economy of international money and finance, international organizations, and the politics of economic shocks and financial crises. My work sits at the nexus of political science and economics and the intersection of international relations and comparative politics.
I also study European politics and the European Union, with a focus on the political economy of the Eurozone and the EU's role in the world economy. I have been the Director of the Center for European Studies at UW - Madison and, from 2022-25, hold the European Commission's Jean Monnet Chair in the European Union and the Global Economy.
In Spring 2024, I am the Axel Springer Fellow at the American Academy of Berlin and a Visiting Researcher in the Transformations of Democracy Research Group at the WZB (Berlin Social Center).
On this page, you can find my CV, information about my research and policy-related publications, and information about the undergraduate and graduate courses that I teach. You can also follow me on social media at Bluesky.
Photo: Annette Hornischer/American Academy Berlin
PUBLICATIONS
BANKS ON THE BRINK: GLOBAL CAPITAL, SECURITIES MARKETS, AND THE POLITICAL ROOTS OF FINANCIAL CRISES.
Cambridge University Press, 2020, with David A. Singer
Cambridge University Press, 2010
Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, 2022
Oxford Handbook of International Political Economy, 2021 (with James Anderson)
Global Studies Quarterly, 2021 (with Stephanie Rickard)
Journal of European Public Policy, 2021 (with Sara Hobolt and Stefanie Walter)
American Journal of Political Science, 2020 (with John S. Ahlquist and Stefanie Walter)
Review of International Organizations, 2019 (with Jon Pevehouse)
International Studies Quarterly, 2018, with Christopher Gandrud and Mark Hallerberg.
Economics and Politics, 2017, with David Andrew Singer
Comparative Political Studies, 2016, with Jeffry Frieden and Stefanie Walter
International Organization, 2014, with Tonya L. Putnam
with Jon C.W. Pevehouse, in The Oxford Handbook of the Political Economy of International Trade, Lisa L. Martin, ed. 2014. Oxford University Press.
International Studies Quarterly, 2013, with Jon C.W. Pevehouse
in Governance Challenges and Innovations: Financial and Fiscal Governance, The Hertie School of Governance (ed.), 2013. Oxford University Press.
Review of International Organizations, 2012, with David Ohls
MASTER OR SERVANT? COMMON AGENCY, PREFERENCE HETEROGENEITY, AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF IMF LENDING
International Studies Quarterly, 2010
Journal of Politics, 2008, with David Andrew Singer
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
DOLLAR SIGNS: US FINANCIAL DOMINANCE AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN POWER, PROSPERITY, AND DEMOCRACY
In this new book project, I explore the causes and consequences of the US dollar’s continued dominance in global finance and the international monetary system. Despite frequent predictions to the contrary, dollar hegemony will persist for many decades, in large part because none of the supposed rising challengers—including the euro and renminbi—meet the economic or political requirements to supplant the dollar. This creates opportunities for more ambitious US economic policy at home and has major global implications for how we understand the rise of China and prospects for future transatlantic cooperation.
THE INFORMATION ECONOMY: MEDIA USAGE, POLITICAL NETWORKS, AND PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD INFLATION, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND RECESSION
with Michael Wagner
with Rikhil Bhavnani
with Ryan Powers
with Allison Myren
SINS OF OMISSION: MAINSTREAM PARTIES IN THE EU AND THE DECLINE OF "EVER CLOSER UNION"
with Sara Goodman
COMMENTARY & POLICY ANALYSIS
The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), June 2, 2022
London School of Economics EUROPP Blog, October 7, 2016, with Jeffry Frieden and Stefanie Walter
De Facto, June 14, 2016, with Jeffry Frieden and Stefanie Walter
The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), with Jeffry Frieden and Stefanie Walter
Econbrowser, with Christopher Gandrud and Mark Hallerberg
Bruegel Policy Contribution, Issue 2015/20
Bruegel blog, with Christopher Gandrud and Mark Hallerberg
The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), July 7, 2015
The Monkey Cage, January 12, 2011
TEACHING
POLITICAL SCIENCE 140
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Introductory undergraduate class that covers the major issues in international relations since the end of World War II. We discuss a variety of topics from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective, including: the causes of war; civil wars and ethnic conflict; economic development; international trade; exchange rates and international monetary relations; international capital flows and financial crises; foreign direct investment; globalization and the environment; the UN, the IMF, World Bank, WTO, and other international organizations; and international law and human rights.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS PLAYLIST
Inspired by Mike Tierney and others, I assembled a list of "IR-themed" songs for use prior to each lecture of PS 140 in Fall 2018. The Fall 2019 list is here. The Fall 2020 list is here. The Spring 2023 list is available on Spotify and the songs listed by topic here.
Sample slides from one of my lectures
POLITICAL SCIENCE 201
COMPARATIVE REGIONAL INTEGRATION:
THE EUROPEAN UNION AND BEYOND
This course introduces the topic of regional integration. It begins with an overview of basic theories of international political economy and international cooperation before turning to theories of regional integration, which we use to develop a set of possible explanations for the “real world” variation in regionalization. In the third part of the course, we focus on the world’s most successful and extensive experiment in regional integration: the European Union (EU). We then offer comparative survey of regional integration efforts across a variety of issue areas, including aid/development, security, human rights, and money/finance.
POLITICAL SCIENCE 350
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
This course examines the politics of international economic relations. It focuses on the ways in which domestic and international politics affect both national economic policymaking and developments in the world economy.
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY PLAYLIST
Fall 2022 playlist
POLITICAL SCIENCE 601
POLITICS OF GLOBAL FINANCIAL RELATIONS
The purpose of this seminar is to explore the politics of international finance. We will focus, in particular, on the ways in which the globalization of finance over the last four decades has influenced – and been influenced by – both international relations and domestic politics. Topics include: the effects of international financial integration on national policymaking; international institutions and global financial governance; financial crises; exchange rates; the historical evolution of the international economy; and China’s integration into the global economy.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS 850
INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE
This is the core foundation course for the Masters in International Public Affairs (MIPA) program. Students will learn how to think critically and analytically about topics in international affairs, how to conceptualize puzzles in international relations, and how to think through the political, economic, and social factors influencing policymakers and other key actors involved in global governance and foreign policymaking. Students will also develop an understanding of major current and past policy debates in various areas of international governance, including international security, international trade, international finance, development, human rights, and the environment. The course also introduces the basic tools of public policy analysis.
POLITICAL SCIENCE 857
THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
This course is a graduate-level review of the subfield of international relations within political science. It is intended primarily for first-year doctoral students in Political Science, although more advanced graduate students are also welcome. The primary purpose is to understand the development of the field, and to understand and be able to evaluate the main theoretical approaches in the sub-discipline. The course covers many of what have come to be known as classic works in the field, as well as some more recent theoretical and empirical applications.
POLITICAL SCIENCE 864
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
This course is a research seminar in international political economy (IPE). Its purpose is to review recent research in IPE and gain insight into the international and domestic politics of foreign economy policymaking. The course is organized around research topics in three substantive areas: international trade, international monetary relations, and international financial relations. A central goal of the course is to identify the welfare effects and distributional consequences of governments’ foreign economic policy decisions, and to use the tools of political science to analyze how interest groups, voters, institutions, and power politics interact to shape policy outcomes (both domestically and internationally). The ultimate purpose of this course is to generate ideas for your own research, including papers and dissertation topics.
POLITICAL SCIENCE 959
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
This course is an advanced graduate seminar in international cooperation and institutions. The course builds on the international relations field seminar (PS 857) but does not assume prior knowledge of its material. Our goal will be to develop an understanding of the key questions (and answers to them) asked by international relations scholars, including: Why do states engage in international cooperation? What explains variation in institutional design? What effects do international institutions have, and how do they influence state policy? What is the relationship between domestic politics and international cooperation? Why do international institutions have an impact, if they do so at all? How do international organizations operate, and what effects do differences in membership, decision-making rules, and designs have on outcomes? The ultimate purpose of this course is to generate ideas for your own research, including papers and dissertation topics.