Competition in the Digital Era: State-Business Relations in a Geo-Economic World

A seminar of the research group on International Political Economy

• Speaker: Antonio Calcara, CSDS-VUB
• Discussant: Isabelle Mejean, Sciences Po, Department of Economics
• Chairs: Hugo Meijer and Eugenio Sánchez, CERI-Sciences Po 

Prof. Antonio Calcara will present his ERC Starting Grant project CODE (Competition in the Digital Era: Geopolitics and Technology in the XXI Century). CODE examines the technological competition between China, the United States (US) and Europe in three key sectors for contemporary economics and geopolitics: semiconductors, cloud computing and space. Theoretically, the project aims to integrate analytical tools from international relations, political economy, and management and innovation to provide a comprehensive theory to explain the dynamics of competition for access to and control of critical technologies. Methodologically, the project aims to use qualitative and quantitative tools to measure technological competition, as well as markets and patent databases, which will then be analysed using network analysis and machine learning tools. Empirically, the project will focus on three of the most important sectors where technological competition is currently taking place: semiconductors, cloud computing and space technology.

Special attention will be paid to state-business relations in the US, China and Europe and how they evolve in the context of increasing geopolitical and geo-economic competition. Prof. Calcara will therefore focus on the theoretical and conceptual aspects of state-business relations in a comparative perspective and present some preliminary results of his research.

More information about the research group on International Political Economy.

Scientific coordinators: 

• Hugo Meijer, CERI Deputy Director and CNRS Research Fellow
• Eugenio Sánchez, PhD Candidate at Sciences Po-CERI