Political Economy of Trade, Institutions, and Transnational Interests, in the Atlantic

Project Information

PETITIA

Grant agreement ID: 101025880

DOI

10.3030/101025880

Project terminated on 1 February 2025

EC signature date 16 April 2021

Start date 1 January 2022

End date 30 April 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 224 933,76

EU contribution

€ 224 933,76

Coordinated by

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PETITIA (Political Economy of Trade, Institutions, and Transnational Interests, in the Atlantic)

Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The research project aims to explore the influence of economic interests across national borders (transnational advocacy networks) in the international political economy of the seventeenth century. Specifically, it focuses on the discovery of a previously unknown mid-seventeenth-century manuscript detailing plans for a Dutch American Company. This company was intended to protect Dutch trade with English colonies in Barbados, the Leeward Islands, and Virginia. The study seeks to understand how economic networks attempted to shape international politics and diplomacy during this period.

Importance for Society
Understanding the historical dynamics of transnational economic networks and their influence on political decision-making is crucial for several reasons:
1. Historical Insight: It provides a deeper understanding of how economic interests have historically shaped international relations and political structures.
2. Contemporary Relevance: The study of historical transnational advocacy networks can offer insights into modern global economic and political interactions.
3. Policy Implications: The findings can inform current policy-making, particularly in areas like international trade and diplomacy, by highlighting the role of non-state actors in shaping policy.

Overall Objectives
The project has several key objectives:
1. Uncover Historical Networks: To reconstruct and analyze the transnational advocacy networks that influenced international political economy in the seventeenth century.
2. Examine Economic Influence: To study how these economic networks attempted to control and influence international politics.
3. Investigate Formal Organization: To explore why a successful transnational economic network sought to become a formal, state-chartered organization like the Dutch American Company.
4. Challenge Existing Theories: To challenge and expand existing economic theories by demonstrating the political motivations behind the formation of formal organizations.
5. Public Engagement: To disseminate the findings to a broader audience through publications, conferences, and public debates, thereby contributing to historical and contemporary discussions on economic and political interactions.

This research not only contributes to academic knowledge but also provides valuable insights for policymakers and the general public, emphasizing the enduring impact of economic interests on global politics.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Start up:
Established a project plan with objectives, milestones, and deliverables.
Coordinated with the supervisor, Prof. Craig Muldrew, to ensure alignment with research goals and methodologies.
Secured access to necessary archives and databases, including those in the Netherlands, UK, and Barbados.

Archival Research:
Conducted extensive archival research in the Netherlands and UK, focusing on petitions and notarial deeds related to Dutch trade with English colonies.
Collected and analyzed primary sources, including petitions from the States General and notarial records from Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Initiated archival research in Barbados, focusing on Dutch economic activity and colonial advocacy.

Data Analysis and Network Mapping:
Identified key individuals and networks involved in transnational advocacy through signature analysis on petitions.
Utilized Gephi and R to visualize the economic and petitioning networks, highlighting the interconnectedness of Dutch and English interests.
Analyzed the rhetoric and argumentation in petitions to understand the strategies used by economic networks to influence policy.

Skill Development and Training:
Participated in workshops and seminars at Cambridge, enhancing skills in digital humanities tools like Gephi and R.
Engaged in the Postdoc Academy's Researcher Development Programme.

Publication and Dissemination:
Published findings in academic publications, including a Dutch monograph that studies the involvement of one province (South Holland) with slavery (Leiden University Press, 2023), and contracted an English Monograph with Boydell & Brewer. Part of the research will also find its way to a special issue that I worked on together with Prof. Craig Muldrew.
Presented research at international conferences, such as the European Social Science and History Conference, the Business History Conference, workshops such as the Robert Brenner Workshop at the University of Sheffield, seminars such as the University of the West Indies on Barbados and the Institute for Historical Research in London.

Final period and results:
For me, personally and professionally, the most significant result is that I obtained a permanent job that in part was a result of the work I had done during the Marie Curie. Societally, the most impact was the research that made its way to the publication about South Holland's involvement in slavery, which was presented to the public with several hundred people in attendance, and led directly to the King's Commissioner to apologize for his legal predecessors' involvement in slavery. The academic impact of the monograph with Boydell & Brewer can only be assessed once it has been published.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The research has made significant strides in advancing our understanding of transnational economic networks and their influence on international political economy during the seventeenth century. Key advancements include:

Historical Network Analysis:
The project has pioneered the use of network analysis tools like Gephi and R to visualize and study the interconnectedness of economic actors relying on notarial deeds. This approach has revealed the complexity and reach of transnational advocacy networks, providing a deeper understanding of how these networks operated and were organized.

Transnational Advocacy:
By examining petitions and other primary sources, the research has demonstrated that transnational advocacy was a significant phenomenon much earlier than previously thought. This challenges the notion that such advocacy is a modern development, highlighting its roots in the early modern period.

Economic and Political Interaction:
The study has shown how economic interests actively shaped political decisions, moving beyond the traditional view of states as the sole actors in international politics. This insight adds a new dimension to the study of early modern state formation and international relations.

Economic organization:
The study adds new insights why people want to organize formally rather than informally, concluding that they do so when other alternatives are closed off.

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