Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

The Geopoliticization of Trade Policy

Project description

Trade policy at the intersection of security and economy

In today’s global landscape, the intertwining of national security with trade policy is reshaping international relations. Events like the US-China trade tensions and geopolitical conflicts such as Russia’s war against Ukraine have spurred a shift where economic decisions are increasingly viewed through a security lens. Addressing this complex phenomenon is the ERC-funded GEOTRADE project. Pioneering a fresh approach, the project explores how domestic economic interests intersect with national security concerns to influence trade policies. By distinguishing between different pathways of influence for domestic economic interests, the project aims to provide novel insights. With comprehensive empirical research across major global players and emerging economies, GEOTRADE seeks to deepen our understanding of the political dimensions of trade.

Objective

Currently, we witness the “geopoliticization” of trade, namely the linking of national security concerns to trade policy. While this geopoliticization is related to the U.S.-China trade war and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become a broad phenomenon affecting most countries worldwide. Much existing research sees governments in the driver’s seat of this process. By contrast, I explain the domestic politics behind the geopoliticization of trade policy focusing on the interaction between the economic interests of domestic actors and national security concerns.
My approach is ground-breaking because I will:
1.) develop an original theoretical argument that distinguishes between three causal pathways for the influence of domestic actors: one where the economic interests of domestic actors constrain geopoliticization, one where business actors shape trade measures in line with their economic interests, and one where business actors drive the geopoliticization of trade.
2.) collect and analyse a large amount of novel empirical evidence, including on public opinion and business associations, to test this argument. This research will cover not only the three most important trading entities (China, the EU and the U.S.) but also India, Mexico, and Turkey as examples of middle powers that have only received scant attention.
3.) innovate in terms of methodology by combining evidence on inputs into the policymaking process, the policy process, policy outputs, and policy consequences to test an explanation of politics.
The project promises to have a significant impact not only on the literature on the trade-security nexus but also on work done on the political economy of trade, interest groups, public opinion, international conflict, and the political economy of emerging countries. Given that geopoliticization affects the international order, the distribution of wealth, and the likelihood of interstate conflict, the project is of high relevance for several broad debates.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2023-ADG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

PARIS-LODRON-UNIVERSITAT SALZBURG
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 2 485 639,00
Address
KAPITELGASSE 4-6
5020 SALZBURG
Austria

See on map

Region
Westösterreich Salzburg Salzburg und Umgebung
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 485 639,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0