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PhD in Global Political Economy, Trade & Development

Earned

PhD Dregree

Duration

3 Years

The PhD in Global Political Economy, Trade & Development is a three-year, research-intensive doctoral program examining how political authority, economic systems, international institutions, markets, trade, finance, technology, and development interact across regions and levels of governance.

The program is designed for candidates seeking careers in universities, governments, international organisations, development agencies, think tanks, NGOs, financial institutions, trade bodies, multinational enterprises, and policy consultancy. Its structure combines advanced theory, rigorous empirical research, international economic policy, trade and investment analysis, development studies, and professional engagement.

The curriculum is informed by existing doctoral approaches that combine global political economy, development theory, quantitative and qualitative methods, interdisciplinary training, and specialisations such as labour, finance, postcolonial political economy, gender, global governance, and environmental politics. It is also consistent with the expectation that a doctoral graduate should demonstrate advanced knowledge, research autonomy, methodological mastery, innovation, and the ability to address complex problems at the frontier of a field.

The ideal graduate profile is that of an independent scholar and policy professional who can connect economic theory, political analysis, empirical evidence, and institutional practice. Graduates should be able to explain how global economic systems operate, evaluate who benefits and who bears the costs, design credible policy responses, and contribute to more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient development.

Central Intellectual Focus

  • The PhD investigates questions such as:
  • Who governs the global economy, and through which institutions?
  • How do trade, finance, investment, taxation, technology, and development interact?
  • Why do some countries achieve economic transformation while others remain dependent or unequal?
  • How are global value chains, migration, labour, energy, and natural resources politically governed?
  • How are multilateral institutions adapting to geopolitical fragmentation?
  • What are the consequences of digitalisation, climate change, artificial intelligence, and financial instability for development?
  • How can trade and development policies become more inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and democratically accountable?

Suggested Research Clusters

  • Candidates may develop their research within one or more of the following clusters:
  • Global Political Economy Theory and Institutions
  • International Trade, Investment, and Economic Diplomacy
  • Development Economics, Political Economy, and Structural Transformation
  • Global Finance, Debt, Monetary Power, and Financial Regulation
  • Global Value Chains, Industrial Policy, and Economic Upgrading
  • International Organisations and Global Economic Governance
  • Regional Integration, the European Union, and Neighbourhood Economies
  • Trade, Technology, Digital Platforms, and Data Governance
  • Climate, Energy, Resources, and Political Ecology
  • Labour, Migration, Inequality, Gender, and Social Protection
  • Postcolonial and Decolonial Political Economy
  • China, the Indo-Pacific, Africa, Latin America, and Emerging Economies
  • Sustainable Development, ESG, and Just Transitions
  • Geoeconomics, Sanctions, Economic Security, and Strategic Competition

Core Module Descriptions

  • Foundations of Global Political Economy
  • Introduces major traditions including classical political economy, liberalism, structuralism, dependency theory, institutionalism, neo-Gramscian approaches, constructivism, critical political economy, feminist political economy, postcolonial perspectives, and ecological political economy.
  • Theories of Development and Structural Transformation
  • Examines modernisation, dependency, developmental states, capabilities, institutions, structural change, industrialisation, poverty reduction, inequality, human development, inclusive growth, and the political foundations of development.
  • International Trade, Investment, and Economic Governance
  • Covers trade theory and policy, tariffs and non-tariff measures, trade agreements, foreign direct investment, services, intellectual property, investment protection, trade disputes, regional integration, and the political role of institutions such as the WTO, EU, World Bank, IMF, and UNCTAD.
  • Global Finance, Money, Debt, and Monetary Power
  • Analyses international monetary systems, sovereign debt, capital flows, exchange rates, financial crises, central banks, global banking, tax competition, financial regulation, development finance, and the distribution of monetary power.
  • Research Design in Political Economy
  • Develops research questions, literature reviews, conceptual frameworks, causal arguments, case selection, comparative designs, process tracing, policy evaluation, theory building, and research feasibility.
  • Quantitative Methods and Econometrics
  • Introduces probability, regression, causal inference, panel data, time-series analysis, survey methods, impact evaluation, trade and development indicators, and reproducible data workflows.
  • Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methods
  • Covers interviews, elite interviewing, archival research, document analysis, discourse analysis, comparative historical analysis, field research, ethnography, case studies, and mixed-methods research.
  • Academic Writing, Research Integrity, and Open Science
  • Addresses scholarly argument, citation, publication ethics, research data management, transparency, confidentiality, responsible artificial intelligence, open access, research impact, and ethical engagement with communities and institutions.
  • Doctoral Seminar
  • Candidates present their emerging research interests, theoretical positioning, preliminary literature review, proposed methodology, and initial research questions.

Program Objectives

  • Upon successful completion of the PhD, graduates will be able to:

Knowledge and conceptual understanding

  • Demonstrate expert and systematic knowledge of global political economy, international trade, development, finance, and economic governance.
  • Critically evaluate competing theoretical perspectives and methodological traditions.
  • Explain how markets, states, institutions, firms, social movements, and international organisations shape the global economy.
  • Analyse the historical, political, legal, social, technological, and environmental dimensions of economic change.
  • Demonstrate advanced knowledge of a specialised research field at or near the frontier of current scholarship.
  • Interpret the political consequences of globalisation, regionalisation, deglobalisation, and geopolitical fragmentation.
  • Assess the relationships between trade, investment, finance, development, inequality, sustainability, and human welfare.

Research and Analytical Skills

  • Formulate original, significant, and feasible research questions.
  • Design and execute an independent doctoral research project.
  • Apply appropriate quantitative, qualitative, comparative, historical, or mixed research methods.
  • Use econometric, statistical, documentary, archival, interview, geospatial, and digital sources appropriately.
  • Construct and evaluate causal explanations of economic, political, and developmental outcomes.
  • Assess the reliability, validity, bias, and limitations of economic and political data.
  • Conduct ethical and transparent research in diverse institutional and cultural settings.
  • Produce an original contribution that extends, refines, challenges, or reinterprets existing knowledge.
  • Use digital research tools, data visualisation, computational techniques, and artificial intelligence responsibly.

Trade and economic-policy capabilities

  • Analyse the political drivers and consequences of trade agreements, protectionism, sanctions, and economic integration.
  • Evaluate trade and investment policies using economic, political, social, legal, and environmental criteria.
  • Assess the role of international institutions in global trade, development, finance, taxation, and investment.
  • Analyse global value chains, industrial policy, logistics, technology transfer, and economic upgrading.
  • Evaluate development strategies, international cooperation programs, and development-finance instruments.
  • Assess sovereign debt, financial vulnerability, macroeconomic adjustment, capital flows, and monetary power.
  • Analyse the distributional consequences of economic policies across countries, regions, sectors, firms, workers, and social groups.
  • Prepare evidence-based policy alternatives, risk assessments, strategic briefings, and impact evaluations.
  • Apply strategic foresight and scenario planning to international economic risks and opportunities.
 

Professional and Communication Skills

Communicate specialised research to academic, governmental, business, civil-society, and public audiences.

  • Write scholarly articles, policy briefs, trade memoranda, development reports, executive summaries, and research proposals.
  • Present and defend complex arguments in international academic and professional settings.
  • Work effectively in interdisciplinary, multicultural, multilingual, and international teams.
  • Develop and maintain professional networks across academia, government, business, international organisations, and civil society.
  • Manage research projects, budgets, timelines, partnerships, and research teams.
  • Demonstrate teaching, facilitation, supervision, negotiation, and stakeholder-engagement capabilities.
 

Ethics, responsibility, and autonomy

  • Demonstrate research integrity, transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights.
  • Recognise the historical effects of colonialism, unequal exchange, racialisation, gender relations, and institutional power in development and trade.
  • Engage critically with different knowledge systems, including perspectives from the Global South.
  • Exercise substantial autonomy in planning, implementing, and completing complex research.
  • Demonstrate intellectual independence, adaptability, resilience, and professional judgement.
  • Assess the ethical, social, environmental, and political consequences of economic-policy decisions.
  • Contribute responsibly to inclusive, sustainable, and evidence-informed global development.
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