Economics is central to the study of China’s rise, its growing engagement with the nations of the world, and its impact on the structure and trajectory of the international system. And China is not alone – the use of economic instruments and the leveraging of economic relationships as pathways to power and influence are increasingly common in world politics today. Moreover, many issues that were once debated in purely economic terms – such as the costs and benefits of protectionism versus free trade – are now being debated through an ‘economics-security nexus’ instead.
These developments have re-invigorated the study of Geoeconomics, a multidisciplinary field that seeks to understand the methods and consequences of nation-states’ use of economic tools to pursue political and strategic objectives.
This Spoke will be a regional focal point for cutting edge research in this field, as well as a global leader in setting the public policy agenda in this emerging geoeconomic world order. It will draw on a wealth of expertise from across the ANU, bringing together academics and policymakers from diverse backgrounds to grapple with complex and contentious ideas. Topics covered include:
- Cooperation and conflict in global trade;
- Economic diplomacy and coercion;
- Grand strategy and great power competition;
- Innovation and technology competition;
- The economic-security nexus in sectors including education, cyber, and finance;
- Evolution of the rules-based order; and
- Australia-China bilateral relations.