Global Economy Podcast

• Episode 115: Trump’s Tariffs and the WTO’s Future with Stuart Harbinson

  In this episode of the Global Economy Podcast, Fredrik Erixon speaks with Stuart Harbinson, former WTO Ambassador and senior fellow at ECIPE, about the state of global trade, the Trump tariffs, and the future of the World Trade Organization (WTO). They explore the erosion of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) principle, the rise of bilateralism, and the threat this poses to multilateral trade rules. The discussion highlights historical lessons, the limits and opportunities for WTO reform, and the role of the WTO Secretariat. Harbinson also offers pragmatic insights into dispute settlement, the MPIA, and possible paths forward for preserving the multilateral trading system. Read Stuart’s blog “The WTO in the Age of Trump’s Trade Bullying – Should There Be WTO Reform?“. You can watch a video recording of this conversation here. You can read a transcript of the chat here. Stuart Harbinson had a distinguished career in public service in Hong Kong. From 1994 to 2002 he represented Hong Kong, and then the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, in the WTO in Geneva. He subsequently joined the WTO Secretariat as Chief of Staff to Director-General Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi and then became Senior Adviser to Director-General Pascal Lamy. He has rich experience as a former Chairman of a number of WTO bodies, including the TRIPS and Services Councils, and the Dispute Settlement Body. He was Chairman of the WTO’s overarching body, the General Council overseeing preparations for the launch of the Doha round, and of the negotiating group handling the formative stages of the Doha negotiations on agriculture. He has also chaired a number of WTO dispute settlement panels. After leaving the WTO, he worked in the UNCTAD Secretariat and for international law firms in Geneva, and has undertaken several trade-related technical assistance projects. He currently serves as a part time adviser on international trade for Penta Group, the world’s first comprehensive stakeholder solutions firm.

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• Episode 114: Fence-Sitters and Frustrations – The EU’s Slow Path to Western Balkan Integration with Bernd Christoph Ströhm

  This episode of the Global Economy Podcast, hosted by Philipp Lamprecht, features Dr Bernd Christoph Ströhm and focuses on the geopolitical and economic relevance of the Western Balkans for the European Union. The conversation explores the region’s strategic importance amid increasing competition from China and Russia, challenges in the EU enlargement process, and the growing frustration among Western Balkan countries over stalled accession talks. The episode highlights how EU regulations can impose unintended costs on neighbouring countries and calls for more flexible, credible, and inclusive policies. Bernd and Philipp advocate for a more responsive, strategic, and geopolitically aware EU approach to its neighbourhood. You can watch a video recording of this conversation here. You can read a transcript of the chat here. Dr Bernd Christoph Ströhm is a Senior Fellow at the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), a Senior Research Associate and Country Expert at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), and a Political Risk / OSINT Analyst at S&P Global. At ECIPE, his research focuses on Russia’s foreign policy dynamics, the influence of non-EU actors such as Russia and China on Southeastern Europe, the EU integration of the Western Balkans, and the economic and political development of the entire Western Balkan region. He holds a PhD in East European Studies and a master’s in Advanced International Studies. At the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), he regularly drafts comprehensive macroeconomic analyses and policy forecast reports, assessing economic trends and policy impacts in the Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) region. At S&P Global, he crafts analytical pieces on political risk-inducing events in the CESEE region, including policy changes and protest risks. He also monitors the outcomes of national and regional elections in the Western Balkans, while drafting country reports that evaluate political and governmental stability within the CESEE region. Bernd worked on numerous publications and different projects, including in-depth analyses of Chinese infrastructure investments in the Western Balkans for the European Parliament, a thorough cohesion policy study on Germany for the European Commission, or a study on free trade policy recommendations for the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). He teaches as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, where he holds interdisciplinary lectures and seminars. His lectures and seminars cover the evolution of the international system, the political and economic situation in the Western Balkans, and the geopolitical and geoeconomic influences of China and Russia on the region, as well as the evolution of Russia’s domestic and foreign policy dynamics.

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• Episode 113: Inside the Reagan White House – Lessons for Today’s Politics with Frank Lavin

  Frank Lavin joins Fredrik Erixon on the ECIPE Global Economy podcast to discuss his book Inside the Reagan White House: A Front Row Seat to Presidential Leadership with Lessons for Today. The conversation centres on Reagan’s leadership and the philosophical pillars of his presidency. Lavin reflects on Reagan’s views on government, the Cold War, and his moral approach to foreign policy, comparing it to today’s tendency to use more grievance-driven rhetoric. They also explore Reagan’s ability to unite people across political divides, his optimism, and his focus on individual empowerment. The discussion highlights valuable leadership lessons for today’s political climate. You can watch a video recording of this conversation here. You can read a transcript of the chat here. Order Mr Lavin’s book “Inside the Reagan White House: A Front-Row Seat to Presidential Leadership with Lessons for Today” here. Frank Lavin is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution (Stanford University). He was CEO of Export Now and he is the author of several books on economics and international affairs, including “Home Front to Battlefront: An Ohio Teenager in World War II (War and Society in North America)”. Frank has had senior posts in national security and international policy in the administrations of the two Bush presidencies and was Director of Politics under Ronald Reagan.

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• Episode 112: Techno-Nationalism – Strategic Competition in the 21st Century with Alex Capri

  In this episode of the ECIPE Global Economy Podcast, Fredrik Erixon speaks with Alex Capri about his new book Techno-Nationalism: How It Is Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics, and Society. The conversation explores the growing entanglement of technology, national security, and economic policy, focusing on key elements such as supply chain weaponisation, strategic decoupling, and tech diplomacy. Capri highlights the geopolitical competition over critical technologies like semiconductors and AI, the implications for global supply chains, and the strategic dilemmas faced by smaller countries. The discussion offers both historical context and forward-looking insight into a fragmenting yet innovation-driven global economy. You can purchase the book “Techno-Nationalism: How It Is Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics, and Society” here. You can watch a video recording of this conversation here. You can read a transcript of the chat here. Alex Capri teaches in the Business School at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and in the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He has worked extensively in China and Asia for two decades, where he was a partner and the regional leader of KPMG’s Asia Trade & Customs Practice, based in both Hong Kong and Singapore. Prior to his consulting career, he was a trade specialist in the U.S. Treasury Department, and the U.S. Customs Service. Alex is a regular panellist for the World Economic Forum (WEF). He writes for Forbes Asia and Nikkei Asia, and he is a frequent guest on global television and radio networks. Known for his expertise in supply chains, global trade, technology and geopolitics, he is a research fellow at the Hinrich Foundation, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and a board member of Purdue University’s Krach Institute of Tech-Diplomacy. He advises corporate boards on geo-economics and techno-nationalism and he provides guidance to clients on cross-border projects throughout Asia and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Alex holds an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, in International Political Economy and a B.Sc. in International Relations, from the University of Southern California.

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• Episode 111: What Have We Learnt from Trump’s Tariff Mess? with Erik van der Marel

  On this episode of the Global Economy Podcast, Fredrik Erixon speaks with ECIPE’s Chief Economist, Erik van der Marel, about the consequences of the Trump administration’s threat to impose tariffs, particularly in relation to global trade and the restructuring of the US economy. The conversation explores how US production and trade networks have evolved, the implications of high tariffs, and the impact of such policies on global value chains. It also highlights the integration of services, such as R&D, marketing, and consultancy, into new forms of globalisation. You can watch a video recording of this conversation here. You can read a transcript of the chat here.

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