Global political economy and trade policy
On 1 January 2021, the world gained another free trade area with the official launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), covering 55 member states, i.e. all the African countries except Eritrea. Its establishment has been widely welcomed not only in Africa but also in Europe – and indeed worldwide. It will give the African Union the chance to become a strong, independent player in the world economy – at least that is the optimistic forecast. And it is true that the economic weight of the countries making up the new free ...
read more "Why we need to talk about the African free trade area"
read more "Why we need to talk about the African free trade area"
The COVID-19 pandemic is currently dominating our lives in every respect. Public discussion revolves around the pandemic and how to deal with it, which is understandable given its huge economic and social impact. Yet we are not just dealing with the effects of the pandemic; we are seeing very far-reaching structural changes in the social production process, too. These are primarily related to environmental challenges, especially climate change. Production based on fossil fuels no longer has a future. At the same time, the contradictions inherent in the ...
read more "The European Left and the Green New Deal"
read more "The European Left and the Green New Deal"
Workshop seriesThe current Corona Pandemic poses important challenges not only for virologists, but for political economists, economists, economic sociologists, and social theorists alike. With the second wave of the pandemic currently under way, it is increasingly obvious that we are about to face an economic crisis that exceeds that Subprime Crisis 2008 and the Euro Crisis 2012 by far. Given the structural changes we witnessed back then, it is only fair to say that the economic, political and social consequences will linger for the years to ...
read more "The socio-political economy of the Corona Pandemic"
read more "The socio-political economy of the Corona Pandemic"
So far, there has not been a lot of discussion on African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in Europe and Germany. Generally speaking, AfCFTA is welcomed as an African initiative. But there is a lack of discussion as to potential pitfalls of the AfCFTA. The ultimate aim of the webinar was to get a better understanding on how European policies must be crafted in order to support the realization of increased economic integration and prosperity within Africa. How will AfCFTA reshape economic relations between ...
read more "Webinar on the Political Economy of the African Continental Free Trade Area"
read more "Webinar on the Political Economy of the African Continental Free Trade Area"