ECO 370– The Economics of Piracy
Rollins College, Department of Economics, Fall 2014
Course time/place: M 6:45-9:15 CSS 229
Professor Philip Kozel, Office: CSS 257
Email: [email protected] Office Hours: M/W1-3:00
Course description:
The course will be seminar based, focusing upon how economists
and others have defined and assessed piracy and its implications
for social life. Piracy possesses many connotations; this course
explores historical and contemporary maritime piracy along with
digital and other forms of piracy.
What is a seminar?
A seminar consists of a group of people meeting regularly to
exchange and discuss information and ideas. Although I will
provide background on some issues and provide short lectures on
occasion, the class will not be lecture based. We will use class time
to discuss the readings, film clips and other material presented in
class, and contemporary events/news.
Course objectives:
1. Explore rationales for piracy, and its economic/social impact, in
historical and contemporary society
2. Understand how economists have approached the issue of
property rights and piracy.
3. Obtain a working knowledge of the changes in the global
intellectual property rights regime that define piracy over the last
30 years and the social/economic consequences thereof.
4. Know why pirates today are celebrated and condemned.
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5. Consider the differences/similarities between contemporary and
historical piracy.
6. Further your reading/writing/listening skills.
Preparation for class:
The readings for each class need to be completed prior to the class
meeting. For all the classes with assigned reading, you will need to
write a short critical review of the reading prior to class (see below).
Student evaluation and assignments:
You will be required to write a weekly critical review essay for the
first 10 weeks of the course. There is also a final research paper on
a topic of your choosing due at the end of the term and you will
present your research to the class during the last three weeks of
the course. An optional take home essay that covers the maritime
piracy is the first ‘formal essay’ listed below; if you choose not to
write this, the final paper with count for 55%.
Formal essays (first 20%, last 35%):
Participation:
Presentation:
Critical review essays:
55%
10%
5%
30%
You need to plan ahead for any conflicts you may have with essay
and other deadlines. If you have a conflict, bring it to my attention
right away. Unless an emergency arises, I will not allow extensions
without penalty. Finally, I will not accept assignments or essays
in electronic form– no exceptions
Attendance policy: If you miss class, it is your responsibility to
keep up on readings and assignments. As a matter of politeness, if
you anticipate having to miss class on a certain day, I appreciate
you letting me know in advance (a short email will do). Although I
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will not take attendance regularly, if I notice a pattern of absence I
will begin to keep track. If you miss more than two class sessions
without giving me any prior notification, you may fail the course
even if you complete all the assignments. Perfect attendance and a
record of polite and constructive participation in class discussion
may have a positive effect on your grade.
Students with Disabilities: Rollins College is committed to equal
access and does not discriminate unlawfully against persons with
disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment
processes. The College recognizes its obligations under the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990 to provide an environment that does not discriminate
against persons with disabilities.
If you are a person with a disability on this campus and anticipate
needing any type of academic accommodations in order to
participate in your classes, please make timely arrangements by
disclosing this disability in writing to Gail C. Ridgeway, Disability
Services Office (box 2613) - Thomas P. Johnson Student Resource
Center, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, FL, 37289 or call 407-6462354 for an appointment.
The Academic Honor Code:
Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an
obligation, and requires a commitment, to act with honor in all
things. Because academic integrity is fundamental to the pursuit of
knowledge and truth and is the heart of the academic life of Rollins
College, it is the responsibility of all members of the College
community to practice it and to report apparent violations.
The following pledge is a binding commitment by the students of
Rollins College: The development of the virtues of Honor and
Integrity are integral to a Rollins College education and to
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membership in the Rollins College community. Therefore, I, a
student of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to these
virtues by abstaining from any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my
academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly, respectfully and
honorably in my social live and my relationships with others.
This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for
academic credit as his/her own. Students shall add to all papers,
quizzes, tests, lab reports, etc., the following handwritten
abbreviated pledge followed by their signature:
“On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed
any unauthorized assistance on this work.”
Disclaimer: This syllabus can be altered at any time by me and
only me.
Required Texts (3):
Markus Rediker, Villains of all Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden
Age. Boston: Beacon.
Gantz, John and Jack Rochester (2005) Pirates of the Digital
Millennium. New York: Prentice Hall.
Mason, Matt (2008) The Pirate’s Dilemma: How Youth Culture is
Reinventing Capitalism. Freepress: New York.
Additional readings indicated on the syllabus are all hyperlinked
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ECO 370 Reading list:
I. Piracy on the high seas (Maritime).
Introduction: Aug 25th
–> No Class on Sept 1st (Labor day).
A. Historical perspectives– The “Golden age”.
Sept 8th Historical maritime piracy overview and economics
Wikipedia on Piracy
Sherry, F. (2000). Chapters 2 and 3, in Raiders and Rebels:
The Golden Age of Piracy.
Rediker, Chapter 1, 2, 3, 6
Sept 15th Economics and Politics on the ship.
Rediker, Chapter 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
Leeson, Peter (2009), The Invisible Hook,
Chapter 2 and Chapter 4
B. Contemporary Maritime Piracy.
Sept 22nd Contemporary Maritime Piracy introduction and state
failure.
Eklöf, Stefan (2007), “Piracy: a critical perspective.” IIAS
Newsletter 36
Young, Adam (2007) Contemporary Maritime Piracy in
Southeast Asia: History, Causes and Remedies. The Netherlands:
International Institute for Asian Studies. Chapter 1: Introduction
and chapter 3: Causative Factors of Contemporary Piracy.
Bahadur, Jay (2011). Boyah, A Short History of Piracy and
Pirate Lore in The Pirates of Somalia: Inside their Hidden World.
Nincic, Donna (2008), “State failure and the re-emergence of
maritime piracy” Working paper, California Maritime Academy.
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Sept 29th Solutions to contemporary maritime piracy?
Young, Adam (2007) Contemporary Maritime Piracy in
Southeast Asia: History, Causes and Remedies. The Netherlands:
International Institute for Asian Studies. Chapter 4: Conclusions
and a Way Forward.
Sterio, M. (2010). “The Somali Piracy Problem.” Working
paper.
Bahadur, Jay (2011). The Policemen of the Sea and The Law of
the Sea (pp 137-169) and The Freakonomics of Piracy (pp 223-233)
and Epilogue: the Problems of Puntland (pp 243-255) in The Pirates
of Somalia: Inside their Hidden World.
–> First essay given out, Due October 17th @ 4:00 PM
II. Intellectual property rights (IPRs) and piracy.
A. Property rights and economic theory in general..
Oct 6th Introduction to property rights and intellectual property
Locke, J. Second treatise of Government, chapter five, “On
property.”
Spinello, Richard (2006). “Intellectual Property Rights” Library
Hi Tech Vol 25(1): 12-22.
Wikipedia on private property.
Kozel, Philip. “The Economics of Intellectual Property: A
Critical Survey.” (Working paper).
—> Fall Break Oct 13th No class!
B. Contemporary digital piracy.
Oct 20th Introduction– Patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
Gantz, John and Jack Rochester (2005) Pirates of the Digital
Millennium. New York: Prentice Hall. Chapter 1, 2, 3, 5
Lessig, Lawrence (2004). Free Culture. (pp. 1-79)
Wikipedia, Sonny Bono Copyright extension act.
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Guest speaker: Jonathan Miller.
Oct 27th IPRs in today’s global economy.
Gantz, Chapter 6, 8
Singleton, Ross (2005), “Knowledge and Technology: the Basis
of Wealth and Power.” An Introduction to International Political
Economy, David Balaam and Michael Veseth, eds. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson.
Oxfam (2003) International trade rules as an obstacle to
development. (Read only until the section on GATS– pp 207-227)
Nov 3rd Biopiracy, ‘traditional’ knowledge and genetics: the
patenting of life.
Wiki on biopiracy
Gollin, Michael (2008), “Biopiracy started with a bounce”
Nature.
Hamilton, Chris (2006). “Biopiracy as a challenge to
intellectual property rights systems” Development 49(4): 94-100.
Brody, Baruch (2010), “Intellectual Property, State
Sovereignty, and Biotechnology.” Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal,
20(1): 51-73.
Gollin, Michael (2001), “Biopiracy: The Legal Perspective”
Barlett, Donald and James Steele (2008). “Monsanto’s Harvest
of Fear.” Vanity Fair
Smith, Jeffery (2010), “Monsanto: poster child...” The New
American Republic.
Nov 10th The Pirate’s Dilemma: creativity and business in a
digital age.
Mason, Matt (2008) The Pirate’s Dilemma: How Youth Culture is
Reinventing Capitalism. Freepress: New York. Chapter 1, 2, 3, 5 and
Outro.
Nov 17th Alternatives to the current IPR regime.
Baker, Dean (2005), “The Reform of Intellectual Property”
Post-Autistic Economics Review Issue no. 32, 5
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Lessig, Lawrence (op. cit.) Chapter 12 (“Harms”) and
Conclusion and Afterward.
Gantz, Chapter 9, 10.
Creative Commons.
Copyleft
Nov. 24th, Dec 1st and 8th Presentations of research projects.
Final Due Friday, December 12th
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Critical review essay guidelines:
Each week when there is assigned reading, you will write a 1.5-to-2
page typed, double spaced critical review essay (375-500 words) on
the readings for the upcoming class. You will turn your essay in
after every class. There are 10 in total and the best 8 will comprise
30% of your grade.
Critical reviews are not summaries; though you may need a
couple of sentences to summarize important points of the readings,
the bulk of each essay should focus on making connections
between the readings, exploring theme(s) running throughout the
readings, appraise/evaluate the arguments from the readings,
comparing and contrasting the readings, etc. The key here is that
you will need to synthesize and reflect on several readings into at
most a 2 page essay.
Because you may be unfamiliar with such an essay, the first
two will not be graded on a point scale; you will receive full credit
for making a good attempt. I, and your classmates, will provide
feedback on your first two essay so by the time the third essay
comes around, you will know what you are doing well and what you
need to work on.
Extra Credit opportunities:
On any given day when we have readings, if you happen to find an
article that pertains to the class material of the day, you have an
opportunity for extra credit. To receive extra credit, you will need to
provide a brief summary of the article and relate it to the course
material in an essay of about 2 pages. These will be due on the day
the class meets.
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