Welcome to the homepage of the Chair for International Political Economy!
The contemporary global political order is in flux: international power has shifted, the era of liberal globalization appears to be waning, and the institutions of global governance are coming under unprecedented strain. These pressures are visible both globally and in different regions of the world. The Chair of International Political Economy studies these processes with a particular focus on the rise of China and the contested and changing role of international institutions and norms.
Our current research programme focuses on topics such as:
- The global consequences of China’s rise
- Evolving forms and structures of global governance
- The role of ideas and narratives in shaping global order
Please take a look at our research and publications under the team members’ profiles, and feel free to get in touch with us via email.
Latest
Social Purpose Workshop at the HSU:
The Chair for International Political Economy hosted the second round of the Social Purpose Workshop on 11–12 December 2025. Organized by Prof. Dr. Matthew Stephen (Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg) and Prof. Dr. Daniel C. Thomas (Leiden University, The Hague), the workshop centered on the concept of social purpose as popularized by John Ruggie in 1982. It brought together scholars to discuss the relevance and application of shared social purpose among major powers, with a focus on issues such as global power shifts, international cooperation, and global governance.
Recent Publications
Matthew D. Stephen (2025)
Beyond multilateralism: China’s international order building through transnational policy forums
The Pacific Review, 1–26.
Matthew D. Stephen (2025)
The Diffusion of Global Power and the Decline of Global Governance
Ethics & International Affairs, 39(2): 145-158.
Stephanie C Hofmann, Yuqian Cai, Laura Gómez-Mera, Tamar Gutner, Matias Margulis, Diana Panke, Berthold Rittberger, Sören Stapel, Matthew Stephen, Moritz Weiss (2025)
Introducing Organizational (Dis)Entanglements: How Scholarship on Regime Complexity and Power Dynamics Helps Make Sense of International Order-Making,
International Studies Review, 27(1): 1-29.
Biedermann, Steve/Tantow, Philip M. (2025)
Informelle Intergouvernementale Organisationen in grenzüberschreitenden Krisen
Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen, 32(2): 118-136
Biedermann, Steve; Kreuder-Sonnen, Christian and Tantow, Philip M. (2025)
21: The G7 and transboundary crises: on the rise and fall of a global crisis manager
In Freytag, Andreas and Draper, Peter (Ed.), The Elgar Companion to the G7, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing: 352-264
Langendonk, Steven and Edith Drieskens (2024)
Chinese Power in the World Heritage Committee: From Learning the Game to Shaping the Rules.
Global Policy, 15(2).
Langendonk, Steven (2025)
Introduction: The Narrative Approach to Europe-China Relations.
In Agota Revesz, Duncan Freeman, Magnus Feldmann and Steven Langendonk (eds.) Narrating China and Europe in Uncertain Times (Bristol: Bristol University Press).
Langendonk, Steven (2025)
The Unicorn, the Dragon, and the Storytellers: Comparing Praxes of Narrating China in EU Foreign Policy.
In Agota Revesz, Duncan Freeman, Magnus Feldmann and Steven Langendonk (eds.) Narrating China and Europe in Uncertain Times (Bristol: Bristol University Press).
Office Hours
Prof. Dr. Matthew D. Stephen
Please make an appointment via E-Mail
Dr Steven Langendonk
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Steve Biedermann
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Postal address
Helmut-Schmidt-Universität
Postfach 700822
22008 Hamburg
Address for visitors
Helmut-Schmidt-Universität
Professur für Politikwissenschaften, insb. Internationale Politische Ökonomie
Holstenhofweg 85
22043 Hamburg
Building H1, Room 1377
Telephone: +49 (0)40 – 6541 – 3399
E-Mail: [email protected]
Dajana Mohr (Secretariat) – Representative: Susanne Latzel
Building H1, Room 2164
Telefon: +49 (0)40 – 6541 – 2954
Fax: +49 (0)40 – 6541 – 3370
E-Mail: [email protected]