Michael Funke

At NIAS, Michael Funke will study the economic and political implications of recent geopolitical shocks, including the war in Ukraine and the intensifying US–China trade conflict, which have propelled geopolitical risk to the top of policy agendas worldwide. Motivated by the rapidly shifting global economic landscape, his research projects focus on key aspects of economic transformation and the far-reaching geopolitical Zeitenwende.

Funke’s research examines how geopolitical developments and risks affect global economies. Core topics include economic dependence and interdependence, the economics of sanctions, globalisation and fragmentation, and the economic aspects of conflict and cooperation.

At the same time, his work addresses broader political developments accompanying these transformations. The number of liberal democracies worldwide has gradually declined, while autocratic regimes have increased. Notably, the heightened risk of post–Cold War democratic backsliding has not been driven by sudden regime breakdowns through coups d’état, but by the gradual erosion of liberal democracies. From within, liberal democracies are increasingly challenged by those who see themselves as their victims. From without, they face pressures posed most potently by China and Russia. In this interplay, a noticeable wave of autocratisation has emerged.