19. June 2024 | Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences, Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, Global Public Policy, Research

Geo-economics symposium discusses the "securitization" of trade relations, economic policy and cutting-edge technology

The (re)emergence of geoeconomics is not only a central topic in the debate on economic sovereignty, strategic trade relations and technological leadership. It also represents a challenge for the academic debate. The symposium "Geoeconomics. On the Securitisation of Trade, Economy and Technology" held at the University of Erfurt in June brought together perspectives from the fields of law, political economy and international relations.

Professor Andreas Goldthau at the opening event — The "Security Capitalism" research group at the University of Erfurt kicked off its work with a symposium.

The one-day symposium, which also marked the opening of the new Security Capitalism research group at the University of Erfurt, discussed how the "geoeconomic turn" manifests itself theoretically and empirically in specific disciplines and fields of research, what research questions this raises, and what future research agendas need to be geared towards as a consequence. The focus was on the topics of trade, strategic sectors, and technology/infrastructure. Brief impulses from researchers in these fields from the University of Hong Kong, FU Berlin, Bard College, the University of Nuremberg, TU Darmstadt and the University of Giessen as well as the Brussels think tank Bruegel invited critical discussion and debate.

The symposium concluded with the realization that "securitization" is the new normal and that new approaches are therefore needed to understand geoeconomics in an interdisciplinary way. The research agenda must also include sectoral specifics that determine the strategically relevant aspects – from 'intangible assets' in the IT sector to classic supply chains for natural resources.