EPIC is an interdisciplinary research group conducting research on contemporary economic dynamics in advanced, emerging and developing countries, with a particular interest in the relationship between economic policy and institutional change.

Our research can be organized in three overall themes, with each their main subthemes:

Capitalist transformations and development

• the nature, pace and outcomes of capitalist transformation processes
• the developmental state, industrial policy and economic development
• the interplay of local firms and transnational companies in global value chains (GVCs)
• employment promotion and informality in the Global South

International trade and sustainability

• the drivers and impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI)
• economic and social impacts of climate change
• the promotion of sustainability in consumption, production and trade

Macroeconomics, money and finance

• financialization, shareholder value and corporate governance regulation
• the causes and consequences of macroeconomic imbalances, globally and regionally
• dilemmas and crises of European integration
• the changing objectives and practices of monetary policy and financial regulation

Researchers in the group provide unique insights on these issues by applying methodologies that emphasize in-depth country knowledge as well as comparative work and by employing both quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Theoretically, our research is multi-faceted, but we all share an interest in pluralism in economics and in global political economy. With respect to economics, the main theoretical strands we engage with are evolutionary economics, post-Keynesian economics and ecological economics.