PROGRAM OF ENTERING EXAMINATION for foreign citizens entering to the basic educational master s program «International trade system» (in English) according to assignment of formation 38.04.01 «ECONOMY» (daily form of formation) on the subject «WORLD ECONOMY AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS» in form of competition of documents (portfolio) Form of entering examination competition of documents (portfolio). SECTION I. THE MAIN CONTENT Part 1. Micro - and macroeconomics Theme 1. Microeconomics Market, its structure and functions. Demand and consumer behaviour. Principle of economic rationality. Factor elasticity in making economic decisions. Balance of supply and demand, cases of it fails and the recovery mechanism. Production, technological mode of production and production costs. Types of costs. Theory of the firm and transaction costs. State of competition and types of market structures. Property and its forms. Theme 2. Macroeconomics The purpose of macroeconomic analysis and macroeconomic policy. Macroeconomic indicators. Gross national product. Economic cycle: causes, consequences. Interest rate, inflation, unemployment. Public finances. Fiscal regulation of the economy. Money and its role in the economy. Monetary regulation. Factors of economic growth. Extensive and intensive type of economic growth. Part II. World economy Theme 1. World economy: essence, structure, patterns of formation and sources of development The essence of the world economy: the basic definition of "world economy". Patterns of formation and sources of development of the world economy: the basic 1
objective preconditions; the effect of general economic laws; internationalization of economic life as a trend and as regularity; the main forms of economic internationalization; sources, causes and factors of development of the world economy; the role of internal contradictions and non-economic factors in the development of the world economy. General concepts about the structure of the world economy. Theme 2. The resource base of the world economy Natural resource potential of the world economy: the concept of "natural resources" and "raw materials"; natural resources as a socio-economic category. Labor resources of the world economy. Entrepreneurial resources of the world. Financial resources of the world economy; major participants in the global financial market; global financial centers. Theme 3. The international division of labor The essence, forms, the logic of development of the international division of labour: the concept of the international division of labor (IDL); forms of IDL, essence of international specialization (IS); international cooperation and international cooperation of production (ICP); the main factors and the logic of development of IDL; modern trends in the development of IDL. Basic forms and indicators of international specialization: basic forms of IS; the characteristic features of the international specializes in the industry of the country; the main indicators of the level of international specialization in the industry. Features of international cooperation of production: the distinctive features of the ICP; the concept of agreed products; the main factors of development of the ICP; the main methods of ICP and their characteristics. Theme 4. Cross-country differentiation of the world economy and basic models of economic development The multidimensionality of the world economy and the problems of international comparisons of national economies: the main indicators of the economic potential of the world economy. Classification of countries of the world: the diversity of classifications of countries of the world. Characteristics of the economies of the major groups of countries in the modern world and models of their development. The openness of the economy: concepts about self-sufficient and open economies; criteria and indicators of openness of the economy. International competitiveness of national economies: the modern features of the international competition; the necessary prerequisites competitiveness; the main provisions of the theory of competitive advantages of M. Porter. 2
Theme 5. The main trends and global problems of the modern world economy Modern trends in the development of the world economy: structural changes in the economy; information economy; deindustrialization and reindustrialization; postindustrialization; uneven economic development in the modern world economy; transnationalization and the increasing role of the "second economy", globalization, regionalization; economic liberalization in the modern world. Global problems of world development: the characteristic features of global problems. Theme 6. The State, transnational corporations and international organizations as subjects of the modern world economy The notion of the State as the subject of the world economy: the need of the State as a social institution and the evolution of its role; the main economic functions of the State and their characteristics; the essence and basic principles of "effective State". Transnational corporations (TNCs): concept; the main feature of the structural organization; internalization and transfer prices; role in the global economy. International economic organizations in the modern world: the main criteria for the classification of international economic organizations; brief description of the main types of international economic organizations. Part 3. International economic relations Theme 1. International economic relations: a general framework and basic concepts Basic characteristics of the main forms of international economic relations (IER), including international trade in goods and services, international capital movements, international labour migration, international transfer of intellectual property rights, international monetary relations, international economic integration. Export (export). The Import. The turnover. Balance. Cost and physical volumes. Technologies and features of accounting. Theme 2. International trade in goods and services: theory, trends, regulation International trade theory and their contemporary forms. Mercantilism. The theory of "absolute advantage" of A. Smith. The theory of "comparative advantage" of D. Ricardo. The theory of Heckscher - Olin. "Leontief Paradox". The development of the theory of comparative advantage in the second half of the twentieth century. The structure of international trade of goods. The role of the leading countries in trade in certain kinds of goods. Protectionism and free trade". Tariff and non-tariff kinds of protectionist barriers. The value of protectionism for national economy. 3
Features of international trade in services compared with the international trade of goods. Current status and development trends of international trade in services: sectoral and geographical structure. Internationalization of education and the Bologna process. Theme 3. International movement of factors of production The nature and characteristics of international capital as forms of international economic relations. Causes and forms of international capital flows. Current status and development trends of the international movement of capital: sectoral and geographical structure. The regulation of international movement of capital at the national and international level. The investment climate. The value of export (import) of capital for the national economy. The nature, causes and characteristics of international migration of labour force as a form of international economic relations. Current status, trends and regulation of international labour migration. International transfer of intellectual property rights as a form of international economic relations. The main types of intellectual property rights. Current status and development trends of the international transfer of intellectual property rights. Theme 4. International monetary and credit relations The nature and characteristics of international monetary and credit relations as a form of international economic relations. The formation and evolution of the international monetary system (IMS). The characteristics of individual stages of the evolution of the IMS. The main parameters of the current stage. Regional monetary systems. National monetary systems. The exchange rate and its impact on other forms of international economic relations and its development. The exchange rate regimes and their characteristics. The advantages and disadvantages of fixed and floating exchange rate regimes. The factors that determine the value of the exchange rate. Purchasing power parity. Balances of international payments. The essence, principles, structure of the balance of payments. Theme 5. International economic integration The proportion of regional and global in international economic relations. The nature and characteristics of international economic integration. Basic integration groups (EU, CIS, etc.). The stage of development of international economic integration. Modern trade and economic unions. SECTION II. SOURCES, BASIC AND ADDITIONAL LITERATURE 4
Part I. 1. Baldwin R., Wyplosz C. The Economics of European Integration, 2006 and later editions. 2. Bhagvati J., Srinivasan T. Lectures on International Trade. MIT Press. Boston, 1994. 3. Business, Government and the International Economy. Harvard Business School Cases. Harvard. MA, 2005. 4. Krugman P., Obstfeld M. International Economics: Theory and Policy. 8th editions. Prentice Hall, 2008. 5. Dunning J. Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy. International edition, 1993 and later editions. 6. International Migration, Economic Development and Policy, edited by Caglar Ozden and Maurice Schiff. World Bank. Wash., DC, 2007. 7. International Money and Finance. L, NY, 2005. 8. Pivovarov S., Tarasevich L., Rakhmanov M. International Management. Fourth edition. St.-Petersburg: Piter, 2011. 9. Trade and Development Report, 2009 2011. URL: http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/tdr2009_en.pdf 10. World Investment Report 2009 2014. Transnational Corporations, Agricultural Production and Development. URL: http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ 11. World Trade Report 2009-2014. http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/anrep_e/ 12. World Economic Forum. Annual Report 2009 2014. URL: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/ Part II and III. 1. Trade and Development Report, 2009 2014. URL: http://unctad.org/en/publicationslibrary/ 2. World Investment Report 2009 2014. URL: http://unctad.org/en/pages/ 3. World Trade Report 2014. URL: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/publications_e/ 4. World Economic Forum. Annual Report 2009 2014. URL: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/ 5. World Trade Organization. URL: www.wto.org 6. Council on Foreign Relations. URL: http://www.cfr.org SECTION III. ORGANIZATIONAL-METHODOLOGICAL SECTION 5
The list of competencies should have received: Knowledge of the main methods, ways and means of obtaining, storing, processing information, skills of work with computer as an information management tool. Proficiency in English at level B2. Willingness to undertake the collection, analysis and processing of data necessary for the solution of economic tasks. Understand the driving forces and patterns of historical process; events and processes of economic history; the place and role of their country in human history and in the modern world. Ability to analyze socially significant problems and processes taking place in society, and to predict their future evolution. Ability to work with information in the global computer networks. Ability to analyze and interpret the data of domestic and foreign statistics about the socio-economic processes and phenomena, to identify trends in socio-economic indicators. Ability to use domestic and foreign sources of information, to collect the necessary data to analyze and prepare information review and/or analytical report. The form of carrying out of introductory tests - competition documents (portfolio). The structure and content of the entrance test. The competition is carried out by evaluation of the documents and materials submitted by applicants to the master in accordance with the list. Calculated on the basis of criteria defined in the program. The maximum number of points for the competition portfolio - 100. Components of portfolio: 1. Motivation letter. 2. Essay to one choosing theme from the program s topics. 3. Documents on previous education. 4. Information on publication activity. 5. Documents and materials on participation in research. 6. English language certificates. 6
Guidelines to writing a motivation letter The motivation letter should contain a logically clear justification of the choice of an appropriate program of study in the master s department of St. Petersburg State University, as well as the General characteristics of the skills, abilities and achievements of the applicant for admission. It is recommended to limit the amount of a motivation letter 3-5 pages size of A4 format. Guidelines to writing an essay Essay involves the preparation of a detailed response on the proposed theme, which will allow you to fully determine the quality of mastering of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, as well as to assess the level of General economic knowledge and analytical skills of the applicants. The applicant must formulate economic approaches to these problems, demonstrate knowledge of basic economic theories, methods and approaches, strictly logically and correctly express defined position and results. Applicants must provide a reasoned, logically correctly and clearly meaningful to build your reply; to have a culture of thinking, perception, generalization, analysis of information of an economic nature, the ability to analyze important problems, be able to clearly, accurately, and correctly Express thoughts. It is recommended to limit the amount of essay by size from 6 to 8 A4 pages. The essay should have the following structure: 1) the introduction, substantial formulation of the considered problem; 2) description of the basic theoretical concepts describing this issue; 3) the possibility of practical realization of the theoretical postulates and suggested ways and methods of solving a particular problem; 4) conclusion; 5) the list of the used literature and Internet sources. CRITERIA FOR DOCUMENTS ADMISSION Documents to be submitted 1. Motivation letter (in English) 2. Essay on one topic to chose from the list of Supplements Criteria Why do you apply for this particular MA program? Essay is an essential part of admission process. Applicants have to write in English an essay (7-10 pages) on one of five topics. Essay should demonstrate that an applicant 1) understands basics of a chosen topic; 2) is capable to make basic analysis and provide Score (max) 30 30 7
3. English as a foreign language clear arguments in order to support general idea; 3) knows essential data and terminology related to a chosen subject area; 4) has good writing skills. The submission of an eligible essay is an obligatory requirement. Whenever the essay is assessed less than 10 points, the total portfolio score is assumed to be equal to 0 points and the application is to be dropped out of consideration. TOEFL (550 and higher), IELTS (minimum 6,0), Cambridge CAE (Certificate in Advanced English), Cambridge BEC (Business English Certificate), Cambridge CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English). The submission of the English language certificate is an obligatory requirement. The submission of two or more certificates doesn t increase the maximum score. 4. Publications Articles (7 pages or more) 5 points maximum; Theses, proceedings (6 pages or less) 3 points maximum. The submission of two or more papers doesn t increase the maximum score. 5. Presentations at scientific conferences and workshops Documents (proceedings, programs, certificates, diploma) approving the participation. 6. Education Diploma with distinction 10 points maximum; Diploma with excellent and good marks only 5 points maximum. TOTAL (maximum score for portfolio) 100 20 5 5 10 SUPPLEMENTS Topics for essay 1. Global economic challenges. 2. International economic organizations in contemporary world. 3. Foreign trade of the Russian Federation. 4. Russia in the Global Economy. 5. Impact of the WTO accession on the Russian economy. 8