Testimonials
A critical political economy lens allows me to reveal the structures and mechanisms that create and perpetuate inequality.
- Nationality
- Swiss
- Programme
- Global Political Economy
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Angela Wigger, and I have studied Political Sciences, Economics and Sociology at the University of Bern in Switzerland, and Political Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where I also received my PhD in Political Sciences in 2008.
I am specialised in the discipline of Global Political Economy, and I research capitalist crises and political crises responses from a historical materialist perspective.
Focal points of my current research are the geopolitics of industrial and antitrust policy, and therein, industrial re-shoring attempts and the multiple modalities of how industrial policy is being financed.
I am teaching - amongst others- the Master specialisation courses 'Crises of Global Capitalism' and 'Current Debates of Global Political Economy'.
In addition to teaching, I am also an editor of the book series Progress in Political Economy (PPE), the journal Capital&Class, and I am chairing the supervisory board of the Centre for Research of Multinational Corporations (SOMO).
Taking on leadership roles in the critical political economy community and organisations like SOMO allow me to integrate the latest cutting-edge research into my teaching.
Why did you choose to work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
My research and teaching in the discipline of Global Political Economy is driven by a fundamental concern with understanding and challenging power asymmetries in contemporary capitalism. A critical political economy lens allows me to reveal the structures and mechanisms that create and perpetuate inequality. In both my work and my teaching, I therefore strive to deconstruct power relations that revolve around fundamental questions: 'who produces, what, when, where, and for whom, and how', and crucially, 'who owns or controls the surplus that is being created', and 'why'.
For example, industrial policy which comes with the appeal of greening capitalism at first glance may appear as a technical economic policy; however, when unpacking it through a critical political economy lens, we can show why and how it actually serves to redistribute wealth and power in a society.
We have to go beyond the surface of appearances and challenge taken-for-granted assumptions about economic arrangements.
What are you currently doing your own research on?
I am currently analysing the financing of the EU's industrial policy at length. Such as focus is pertinent because the EU lacks the fiscal firepower of its major trading partners: it has an annual budget comparable to that of Denmark, and deficit spending and debt financing being ruled out by the Treaties. The EU also has no meaningful taxing powers that could increase its revenue base, or offer tax concessions to targeted industries.
Faced by these constraints, the EU relies - amongst others - on risk-bearing capacity mechanism that use the EU budget and collective debt as a revolving guarantee fund, which then should leverage public and private investments. In other words, the EU budget and collective debt in the name of the EU-27 (which is not the EU, but its member states) is being used as a backstop to offer guarantees for potential losses of Investors willing to invest in the EU economy. This guarantee role of the EU budget is generally argued to be used for the green transition.
In this context, the EU industrial policy is being portrayed as key for achieving the net-zero targets. However, when scrutinising its financing, it becomes evident that many industrial policy programmes merely create an illusion of climate performativity. Through 'merely' absorbing the risks of investors, the EU effectively outsources the responsibility and the pace of the green transition to investors whose primary imperative remains profit maximalization, without tackling the decarbonization of capitalism.
In the current conjuncture, we can see that climate investments remain marginal, and that they increasingly compete with defence priorities. Furthermore, by crowding in investors, the EU crowding out democratic oversight and control.
I am researching why and how EU industrial policy is being financed in this way, which requires an embedding of the EU in its geopolitical context where we see shifting power balances and increased competition from emerging economies like China, but also India.
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
The most important advice I can give is this: choose a field that ignites that magic spark of intellectual curiosity.
If you find yourself asking questions like 'Why do some countries prosper while others struggle?, 'How do transnational corporations shape government policies?, or 'Why do economic crises seem to benefit some while devastating others?', then Global Political Economy is calling to you.
These aren't abstract academic questions – they're the urgent puzzles of our time.
Global Political Economy gives you the analytical tools to understand who produces what, when, where, and how, and for whom, and crucially, who owns or controls the surplus that is being created, and why. These are the questions that matter for understanding our world and your place within it.
Climate change, rising inequality, technological disruption, geopolitical tensions, migration – all of these challenges require understanding how economic and political power intersects at global, national, and local levels. Global Political Economy provides frameworks for understanding these interconnected crises and, importantly, for imagining alternatives.
Personally, I am convinced that there is no other field that is more interesting and relevant than Global Political Economy. If you really want to understand the world, come and study this Master's specialisation.
What is the best part of working with students?
The best part of working with students is witnessing that transformative moment when intellectual curiosity truly ignites – when you see that magic spark in their eyes as they begin to ask deeper questions about the world around them. There's nothing quite like watching a student move from passive consumption of information to active, critical engagement with complex ideas about social power relations and economic structures.
Seeing students develop genuine interest in understanding how the world actually works, particularly when they begin to question taken-for-granted assumptions about economic and political arrangements is energising me. When a student suddenly realises that what appears 'natural' or 'inevitable' about capitalism is actually the result of specific power relations and policy choices, their entire perspective shifts. This intellectual awakening is deeply rewarding to witness and facilitate.
This includes the moment when students start asking 'why' questions – why do some benefit from economic crises while others suffer? Why do certain policies get implemented while alternatives remain marginalized? Such questions signal that they're developing the critical thinking capacity that will serve them throughout their lives.
Teaching is fundamentally a dialectical and transformative process for everyone involved. While I follow the principle 'De omnibus dubitandum' – we should always doubt everything – I continuously learn from students who approach theories, including critical theories, with healthy skepticism and point to blind spots in my own thinking.
Students often question my taken-for-granted positions in ways that push me to re-examine my own assumptions. This keeps the learning environment dynamic and prevents intellectual stagnation. Over time, I've learned to embrace intellectual humility and create space for re-examination and contestation rather than simply conveying established knowledge.
If applicable: What does your work in practice (outside your role as a lecturer/researcher at Radboud University) bring to your academic work, and vice versa?
My role as chair of the supervisory board at SOMO, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, provides direct exposure to how corporate power operates in practice. SOMO's investigations into multinational corporations' social and environmental impacts offer concrete case studies that test and refine the theoretical frameworks I work with in academic settings.
When SOMO researchers document how specific companies structure their supply chains to avoid regulatory oversight, or how they influence policy-making processes, these findings provide empirical grounding for broader theoretical arguments about capitalist power relations. This practical research helps me move beyond abstract discussions of corporate influence to understand the specific mechanisms through which economic power translates into political outcomes.
My practical engagements at organisations like SOMO help me to identify which research questions matter most urgently. Through SOMO's work, I see firsthand which corporate strategies are causing the most harm and which regulatory gaps need attention.