Dr Michael Keating

Associate Professor of International Political Economy

Michael F. Keating graduated with a PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick in 2006. Previously, he studied Political Science at the University of Western Australia, graduating with a BA (1st Class Honours) in 1998, and an MA (by Research) in 2000. Dr Keating is an Associate Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation (CSGR), at the University of Warwick, part of BISA's International Political Economy Group (IPEG) and a member of the Political Economy of Energy in Europe and Russia (PEEER) Steering Committee. He is also a Global Development Network registered researcher.

Dr Keating is Associate Professor of International Political Economy at Richmond, where he teaches in the International Relations and Political Science undergraduate degree programmes, in the First Year Experience (FYE) programme, and in the new Master of Arts (International Relations) Programme. Prior to this, Dr Keating taught in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick (2001 and 2006), in Politics and International Studies at Murdoch University, Western Australia (2000), and in Political Science at the University of Western Australia (1998-2000).

His research interests revolve around globalisation, governance and development. This continuing research project combines comparative and international political economy with public policy, and has a regional focus on Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. His PhD Thesis was titled Global Best Practice(s) and Institutional Reform in Developing States: Central Banks and the Electricity Sector in Malaysia and Uganda, and his MA Thesis The IMF, the World Bank and the Political Economy of Development: Inconsistency in the 1990s.

Contact Details

Peer Reviewed Publications, Papers, Book Reviews

• Keating, Michael F., 2011. 'Book Review: Narelle Miragliotta, Wayne Errington and Nicholas Barry (2009) The Australian Political System in Action, in Political Studies Review, Volume 9, Issue 1, January. Forthcoming.
• Keating, Michael F. and James D. Boys, (2009). 'The Policy Brief: Building Practical and Academic Skills in International Relations and Political Science', in Politics, Volume 29, Issue 3, October, pp. 201-8.
• Keating, Michael F., 2008. 'Book Review: Greg Hill's (2006) Rousseau’s Theory of Human Association: Transparent and Opaque Communities', in Briefing Notes in Economics, Issue Number 78, September/October. Available on-line, via the Richmond BNE website. Click HERE.
• Keating, Michael F., 2006. Global Best Practice(s): Electricity Sector Reform in Uganda, CSGR Working Paper 192/06. January, Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation (CSGR), University of Warwick. Available on-line, via the CSGR website. Click HERE.
• Stone, D., S. Maxwell and M. Keating, 2001. Bridging Research and Policy. Background Paper for the International Workshop 'Bridging Research and Policy', University of Warwick, 16-17 July 2001. Funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation (CSGR), University of Warwick. To access this paper in PDF format click on the link below:

• Keating, Michael F., 1999. "Divergence and Convergence between the IMF and the World Bank's Conceptions of Development during the 1990s". Proceedings of the 1999 Conference of the Australasian Political Studies Association. 26-29 September, University of Sydney. Volume II Refereed Papers. University of Sydney/APSA. To access this paper in PDF format click on the link below:

Papers Presented and in Progress

• Keating, Michael F. 2010. 'Rule-making in the Energy Sector: Europe at the Heart of Policy Transfer'. To be presented to the PEEER Workshop Governing Energy in Europe and Russia, 3–4 September, Radcliffe House, University of Warwick
• Keating, Michael F., 2010. 'Malaysia’s Developmental State? The Case of Electricity Sector Reform'.
• Keating, Michael F. 2009. 'Crisis? What Crisis Theory?'. Paper presented as part of the IPEG Panel Global Crisis and the Renewal of Economic Sociology at the BISA 2009 Annual Conference, University of Leicester, December 14th-16th.
• Keating, Michael F., 2009. 'The Politics of Democratization in Uganda: Donor Interests, Development Strategies, and Intra-Governmental Conflict'. Paper presented at the Democatization in Africa: Retrospective and Future Prospects conference, Leeds University Centre for African Studies, December 4th-5th.
• Keating, Michael F. 2008. 'Parliament as Opposition in Uganda: Democratisation and its Consequences'. Paper presented to the Political Studies Association 58th Annual Conference Democracy, Governance and Conflict: Dilemmas of Theory and Practice, Swansea University, 1-3 April 2008. To access this paper in PDF format click on the link below:

• Keating, Michael F., 2006. ‘Global Best Practice(s) – Theory and Method in Studying Globalisation and Development’. Presented to the Critical International Political Studies (CRIPS) Graduate Working Group, Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, on 26/04/06.
• Keating, Michael F., 2006. ‘Central Bank Independence versus Policy Coordination: Financial Sector Reform in Uganda and Malaysia’. Presented to the Warwick Global Development Society 2005/06 Seminar Series on 11/10/05.
• Keating, Michael F., 2005. ‘Global Best Practice(s)’. Presented to the Critical International Political Studies (CRIPS) Graduate Working Group, Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, 20/04/05.
• Keating, Michael F., 2001. 'Globalisation and the Dynamics of Impoverishment – The IMF and the World Bank'. Prepared for the Development Studies Association (DSA) and Political Economy Research Centre (PERC) Policy Workshop, “Poverty and Social Exclusion in North and South”. University of Sheffield, 9 April 2001. To access this paper in PDF format, click on the link below:

Postgraduate Courses

• IRM606 Global Political Economy This course will examine the global political economy through a framework that goes beyond traditions of state-centrism, boundaries between politics and economics and the concept of globalisation as an overarching structural force. The course will study theoretical approaches to international political economy (IPE) and examine contemporary issues including the politics of economic crises. Students will explore the theories of leading analysts, which may include Gilpin, Keohane, Cox and Kindleberger. The role of International Financial Institutions (IFI’s) will be addressed, along with competing models of Capitalism, to address the manner in which various economic models are implemented in the global political economy. Finally the course will explicitly address key normative questions for a globalised world, such as justice and equality. TBA
• IRM609 International Development This course will address development theory and practice in the post-1945 era. Students will consider the ‘impasse in development studies’, and the challenges of building credible development theories in the 21st Century. Through a series of case studies students will consider the success and failures of policies to promote development around the world. These will include the rapid economic growth and development in East and South East Asia, development and democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa and international institutions and donor agencies. The administration of development will be considered, along with a range of actors responsible for formulating, promoting and implementing development policies. Students will examine a range of contextual issues (social, political, economic, environmental, institutional, ideological and cultural) that aid or hinder development efforts. Why have some states had economic miracles, while others have become failed states?. TBA

Undergraduate Courses

• INR 317 Global Governance This course focuses upon the theoretical debates and practical problems associated with contemporary global governance. The history of global governance is covered and a range of theoretical approaches are addressed in order to clarify this concept. Different forms of global governance are explored, and through this a range of different institutions, mechanisms and agents of global governance interrogated. Various social, political, economic and security issues areas in global governance are addressed. On offer in FA10
• PLT 312 Global Development Politics Examines the global politics of development and of developing states, and various social, economic and environmental themes surrounding post-war attempts to promote development. The course will consider both development theory and practice in the context of globalization, and provide an overview of the history of global development from economic miracles to failed states. A range of contemporary development debates and issues are addressed. On offer in SP11
• PLT 350 Political Economy This course examines the historical development of political economy, from liberal, mercantilist and radical political economy in the 18th and 19th centuries, to a range of 20th century scholars of political economy. The object of study in the course is theories of capitalism, and addressed themes include the nature of market society, the relationship between state and market, economic growth and economic crises, market failure and government failure, and the relations between capitalism, democracy, authority, and the individual. On offer in SP11
• INR 360 Miracle to Meltdown: East and Southeast Asia Follows the developmental trajectory of East and South-East Asian states in the post-colonial era. The course will address both the international context and the internal social, political and economic dynamics of these states. Particular emphasis is placed on different theoretical and empirical explanations for both the phase of rapid economic growth (the 'miracle') and the 1997/1998 Asian Economic Crisis (the 'meltdown'). TBA
• PLT 382 Politics of sub-Saharan Africa Follows the crises, conflicts and attempts to promote stability, economic development and democratic systems of government in sub-Saharan Africa. The course will address the many social, political, economic and security problems that countries in this region face by following a historical trajectory from the Colonial era through to modern times. TBA
• FYS 102 Utopia and Dystopia Utopias are fairytales, dreams and visions about perfect worlds and future societies. Dystopias are the opposite - nightmare scenarios of oppressive and totalitarian outcomes from social, political, economic, cultural and technological developments in the contemporary world. Through a range of mediums, particularly film and literature, this course will look at classic, modern and contemporary examples which provide a framework for generating critical commentary on our own societies. On offer in FA10
• PLT/SCL 206 Rich World, Poor World Provides students with an introduction to development studies, seeking to explain both the existence of an persistence of a Poor World from a political, sociological, historical and economic perspective. The course addresses numerous issues as they affect the Poor World, and studies relations both within and between Poor World and Rich World. Topics include colonialism and postcolonialism, processes of industrialization, food security, inequality, nationalism, aid, democratization, and conflict, as well as an introduction to theories of development (and development failures). On offer in FA10
• PLT 222 Major Political Thinkers This course provides students with an introduction to political thought and political philosophy, as it has developed in the Western World since the time of the ancient Greeks until the end of the 19th Century. The origins of modern political thought - totalitarian, liberal, realist, feminist, socialist, conservative, democratic and post-modern - are discovered through the study of a range of major political thinkers, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Wollstonecraft, Marx, Mill, and Nietzsche. On offer in FA10

Undergraduate Dissertation Supervision

FALL 2008:
* Viva Cuba? The applicability of Social Constructivist Theory in Explaining Economic Sanctions: The Case of Cuba
* Madman Theory and Conflict Resolution
* Neo-Instrumentalism in Ethnic Nationalism: A New Approach to Examining Nationalist Populism
* A Missile Defense System in Poland: A Neo-Liberal versus Realist View
* The Power of the Pro-Israel Lobby in Influencing US Foreign Policy: A Constructivist Argument
* Who rules America – the President or the Constitution?

SPRING 2008:
* Provincial Reconstruction Teams: Strategic Advantages of a Developing Technique
* Regionalization as a Response to Globalization’s Challenges to State Sovereignty
* Conflict Resolution Theories and their Applicability to Modern Low-intensity Conflicts using the Colombian case
* Multiethnic States and Affirmative Action in Brazil
* The Public Policy Process: Think Tanks in the NATO Enlargement Debate
* IMF and World Bank Sustainable Development Failures in the Central African Republic

Useful Links

• Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation (CSGR), University of Warwick. This is Europe's premier research centre regarding globalisation.
• Global Development Network. An association of researchers dedicated to supporting high-quality, policy-oriented research in the social sciences to promote development.
• Overseas Development Institute. ODI is Britain's leading independent think-tank on international development and humanitarian issues.
• PEEER is the Political Economy of Energy in Europe and Russia network.