Globalization and National Economic Policy

Since the Second World War – and with an accelerating speed since the 1970s and again the 1990 – transnational economic interdependencies increased.  How did entrepreneurial and business decisions as well national and international economic policies influence this process, which is often referred to as globalization? And which consequences did it have for business and politics? How did historical actors react to ensuing crises, structural changes and new political circumstances? The projects in this research area address these and other questions at the micro- and meso-level with a particular focus on Germany but also in comparative perspective.

 

Forschung

Projekte

Ministerial Conference of the WTO on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Geneva, 18 May 1998. Photo: WTO, File on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

Economic History of Globalisation

André Steiner

Research project

This project deals with the internationalisation of the economy from the late nineteenth to the end of the twentieth century, analyzing it from the perspective of German companies.

Germany and Togo after the Second World War. Postcolonial entanglements with the former German "model colony"

Stefan Seefelder

Asociated PhD project

The project aims to analyze the relations between the German Federal Republic (FRG) and the former „model colony“ Togo after 1945 and thus attempts to provide a contribution to the German colonial history, embedded in a global historical framework.

"Euro"-Skulptur, Frankfurt. Foto: LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Politics and Financial Markets since the 1970s

Ralf Ahrens

Research project

Concentrating on monetary and capital market policy in the Federal Republic of Germany from the 1970s to the 1990s, and paying particular attention to their international context, the project examines the tensions between increasing market orientation and persisting regulatory claims.

“Halved Globalization?" The Business Practices and Scope of Action of the GDR Foreign Trade Organizations

Lena Senoner

PhD project

The project examines how individual foreign trade transactions of the GDR took place and what role the state-monopolized foreign trade enterprises played in the preparation and execution of those transactions. Of particular interest is whether and what scope for action existed for individual foreign trade enterprises in the GDR's institutional structure, and how this was filled. It will also be discussed whether foreign trade enterprises adapted their practices to the increasingly internationalized markets.

Playground in Halle/Saale. Foto: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-B0909-0014-002 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B0909-0014-002, Halle, Halle-Süd, Wohnblocks, Spielplatz, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

Social Inequality in East Germany 1980–2000. The Material Situations of Employee Households in Changing Times

Christopher Banditt

Asociated PhD project

Within this PhD project, the socio–economic situations of East German employee households from 1980 until 2000—thus embedding the epochal break of 1989/90—will be researched. By focusing on material resources (household income, housing situation, saturation with technical consumer goods), the key determining factor for social inequality will be examined.

Globalization and National Economic Policy

Since the Second World War – and with an accelerating speed since the 1970s and again the 1990 – transnational economic interdependencies increased.  How did entrepreneurial and business decisions as well national and international economic policies influence this process, which is often referred to as globalization? And which consequences did it have for business and politics? How did historical actors react to ensuing crises, structural changes and new political circumstances? The projects in this research area address these and other questions at the micro- and meso-level with a particular focus on Germany but also in comparative perspective.

 

Forschung

Projekte

Ministerial Conference of the WTO on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Geneva, 18 May 1998. Photo: WTO, File on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

Economic History of Globalisation

André Steiner

Research project

This project deals with the internationalisation of the economy from the late nineteenth to the end of the twentieth century, analyzing it from the perspective of German companies.

Germany and Togo after the Second World War. Postcolonial entanglements with the former German "model colony"

Stefan Seefelder

Asociated PhD project

The project aims to analyze the relations between the German Federal Republic (FRG) and the former „model colony“ Togo after 1945 and thus attempts to provide a contribution to the German colonial history, embedded in a global historical framework.

"Euro"-Skulptur, Frankfurt. Foto: LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Politics and Financial Markets since the 1970s

Ralf Ahrens

Research project

Concentrating on monetary and capital market policy in the Federal Republic of Germany from the 1970s to the 1990s, and paying particular attention to their international context, the project examines the tensions between increasing market orientation and persisting regulatory claims.

“Halved Globalization?" The Business Practices and Scope of Action of the GDR Foreign Trade Organizations

Lena Senoner

PhD project

The project examines how individual foreign trade transactions of the GDR took place and what role the state-monopolized foreign trade enterprises played in the preparation and execution of those transactions. Of particular interest is whether and what scope for action existed for individual foreign trade enterprises in the GDR's institutional structure, and how this was filled. It will also be discussed whether foreign trade enterprises adapted their practices to the increasingly internationalized markets.

Playground in Halle/Saale. Foto: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-B0909-0014-002 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B0909-0014-002, Halle, Halle-Süd, Wohnblocks, Spielplatz, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

Social Inequality in East Germany 1980–2000. The Material Situations of Employee Households in Changing Times

Christopher Banditt

Asociated PhD project

Within this PhD project, the socio–economic situations of East German employee households from 1980 until 2000—thus embedding the epochal break of 1989/90—will be researched. By focusing on material resources (household income, housing situation, saturation with technical consumer goods), the key determining factor for social inequality will be examined.