Hegemonic Globalization (joint with Fernando Broner, Josefin Meyer, Christoph Trebesch)
10 March 2026 5:45 pm CET
Alberto Martin (CREI/Pompeu Fabra) presents his research (jointly with with Fernando Broner, Josefin Meyer, Christoph Trebesch) in the Vienna International Economics Seminar (VIES) series
In cooperation with CEU, FIW, Universität Wien, WIFO, WIIW and WU.
Venue
University of Vienna at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics
Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1
1090 Vienna
2nd floor, HS15
Description
How does the global balance of power shape the world economy? We propose a theory of “hegemonic globalization” built on two premises: countries have heterogeneous policy preferences, and trade expands with policy alignment. Hegemons foster alignment, enabling globalization, while a shift to multipolarity risks fragmentation, at the expense of the declining hegemon and its allies. Empirically, we use international treaties as a proxy of alignment and construct the Global Treaty Database, covering 77,000 agreements from 1800–2020. The evidence supports the key elements of our theory: hegemons spur treaty-making, and treaties are a leading indicator of bilateral trade.
Speaker
Registration
Participants are requested to register in advance with Julia Hnidek
The VIES seminar is dedicated to frontier research in international economics and features presentations by renowned international scholars.
The VIES is a joint initiative of CEU, FIW, Universität Wien, WIFO, wiiw and WU.