The Evolution of Economic Power in the Age of Globalization

This project seeks to bring together for the first time a diversity of scholars for a one-day workshop who work on economic power, transnational corporations  and elite networks. Despite the global ubiquity of transnational corporations, basic empirical and theoretical questions concerning their nature remain unresolved. How should we study corporate elite networks and how should they change our theoretical understanding of world order? As their operations have expanded across many nations, are they also controlled and owned transnationally, or are they still national corporations with transnational operations? Do they form a transnational corporate elite that is at least partially beyond the reach of any particular nation-state, or are they still a manifestation of national economic power in globalization? And what are the implications of the rise of transnational corporate elite networks on geopolitics, especially American/Western hegemony and the rise of China? Is there increasing integration with China, or do distinct elite power blocs remain? The workshop has two main aims: First, we want to ensure that the participants work towards producing a common theoretical and methodological basis for the analysis of the political economy consequences of the rise of giant transnational corporations worldwide, as well as debating our differences. Second, the meeting should provide the foundation for a long-term collaboration based on the joint publication and the debated working areas of the research, bringing together these scholars from Asia, Europe, North America. We seek a fast follow-up preparation and publication of a special issue that consists of the revised contributions to the workshop – either in the Review of International Political Economy or in New Political Economy.