This text should provide students with a challenging but accessible overview of the main issues and dynamics of the international political economy. The authors advance a broad claim: that the political economy of today's modern world is shaped by the relentless interplay between state power and globalizing market forces, between the serach by states for national security and the rewards of trade and economic growth. Going beyond economic principles, this text incorporates historical background and contemporary issues, revealing how think-tank theory and real power politics comine to shape the global economy.