Current projects
The Institute's staff is currently involved in various research projects. Click on the labels below to learn more about each project.
Politics of Debt
Politics of Debt
In this area, we address issues of debt, politics, and power. We examine how states grant loans, who receives loans, and the consequences of these loans.
In doing so, we focus on the following questions:
How do creditor governments use bilateral loans to exercise power over recipient countries? How do creditor governments compete with other creditors for influence in recipient countries? How do politics influence and control loan repayment issues? How do bilateral loans affect recipient countries' tax systems and shadow economies?
Co-authors
This project is ongoing in collaboration with the following co-authors:
Patrick Shea
Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Global Governance, University of Glasgow
Politics of Export Credit
Politics of Export Credit
Export credit agencies assist domestic firms in their search for export markets by providing financial support and/or guarantees. We analyze the policy factors that determine which firms receive this financial support. We also study how policy affects the establishment and financing of these export credit agencies international export financing arrangements.
Co-authors
This is a project in collaboration with the following co-authors:
Thomas Gray
Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Dallas
Alexandra Zeitz
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Concordia University Montréal
Timm Betz
Professor of International Political Economy, Technical University of Munich
Politics of FDI
Politics of FDI
This research project addresses issues related to foreign direct investment. In particular, we examine how foreign direct investment might affect election outcomes or votes in the U.S. Congress. In addition, we examine how governments incentivize firms to engage in foreign direct investment.
Co-authors
This is a project in collaboration with the following co-authors:
Sarah Bauerle-Danzman
Assistant Professor of International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington
Thomas Gray
Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Dallas
Politics of Environment and Finance
Politics of Environment and Finance
Companies differ in their willingness and ability to implement measures that prevent or mitigate climate change. We examine how political factors influence the financial environment in which companies operate and how this could contribute to better environmental and climate protection performance by companies.
Co-authors
This is a project in collaboration with the following co-author:
Patrick Bayer
Professor in Environmental Sustainability and Democracy, University of Glasgow
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
As teachers, we constantly strive to improve our lectures and seminars. This project examines specific teaching techniques to analyze how professors can increase successful learning in their courses. We are also investigating whether and how this learning spreads among students.
Co-authors
This is a project in collaboration with the following co-authors:
Lauren Ratliff Santoro
Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Dallas
Thomas Gray
Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Dallas
Institute for International Political Economy