Articles & Podcast Episodes

How Crises Shape Globalisation

In Episode 22 of Business Diplomacy Today, host Matthias Catón is joined by Prof. Harold James, Professor of History and International Affairs at Princeton University. Drawing inspiration from Harold’s recent publication Seven Crashes: The Economic Crises That Shaped Globalisation (2023), Matthias and Harold discuss seven major turning points in the history of globalisation.

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The Rise of Middle Powers

Episode 21 of Business Diplomacy Today covers the emerging significance of middle powers. Host Matthias Catón is joined by Michael Mazarr, Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation. Matthias and Michael discuss how middle powers are rising and their impact on global trade and business environment.

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Social Inequality as a Business Risk

In Episode 20 of Business Diplomacy Today, host Matthias Catón is joined by Ashoka Mody, Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor in International Economic Policy at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University and author of “India is Broken: A People Betrayed, Independence to Today”. Matthias and Ashoka delve into how the world’s largest democracy faces obstacles in achieving fair and equal development, with a specific focus on how its history has shaped its present.

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Expert Influence in Policy- and Decision-Making

In Episode 19 of Business Diplomacy Today, host Matthias Catón is joined by Vera Axyonova, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie REWIRE Fellow at the University of Vienna and Principal Investigator of the project ‘Expert Knowledge in Times of Crisis – Uncovering Interaction Effects between Think Tanks, Media, and Politics’. Vera shares her expertise on the influence that experts and think-tanks can have on policy- and decision-making, specifically in hybrid and non-democratic regimes.

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Entrepreneurship in Fragile States

Jan Kratzer, Chaired Professor for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management and Founder/Academic Director of Centre for Entrepreneurship (CfE) at Technische Universität Berlin, joins Matthias Catón in this episode. Jan shares his expertise on challenges for entrepreneurs in low-income countries, comparing them to high-income countries.

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The EU Critical Raw Materials Act

In episode 17 of Business Diplomacy Today, Matthias Catón is joined by Ludivine Wouters, Managing Partner of Latitude Five, an investment and advisory firm operating in emerging markets. Ludivine shares her expertise in the metals and mining industry, specifically concerning the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRM Act).

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Corporate strategy in the age of global uncertainty and volatility

In this episode, host Matthias Catón and Wilfried Aulbur, Senior Partner of Roland Berger, explore the navigation and development of business strategies in a volatile and ever-changing world.

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Water Governance and International Security

This episode of Business Diplomacy Today explores the topic of water security. Host Matthias Catón is joined by Susanne Schmeier, Head of the Water Governance Department and Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy at IHE Delft.

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Corporate Strategy and Political Risk

In this episode, Matthias Catón speaks with Famke Krumbmüller, Executive Director of the Geostrategic Business Group at EY, on building a robust corporate strategy in a volatile world. Famke introduces us to definitions and sub-categories of political and geopolitical risk and how companies can enhance their risk management protocols to be more prepared and expectant as the density and intenseness of global levels of volatility rise.

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The migration governance complex

In this episode, Matthias Catón and Crystal Ennis discuss the migration governance complex, defined as how migration governance happens in practice and the various actors involved. Their discussion focuses on labor migration and examines its definitions, the fragmentation of migration governance, changing trends and geographical destinations of labor migration, and how we (individuals, organizations, and governments) can improve the socioeconomic conditions for labor migrants.

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