Teaching and research focus on conflicts and cooperation in international relations as well as the transformation of statehood from a comparative perspective. In research, the focus is on international and comparative political economy. Starting from a crisis of multilateralism, existing interstate economic conflicts (trade conflicts, commodity conflicts, currency conflicts) and their mechanisms of impact on international regimes and national political systems in industrialized and developing countries are analysed from a critical realist theoretical perspective. The changing relationship between states and companies, which is reflected in foreign economic policy strategies, is included under the heading of change in statehood. It is assumed that the growing power of multinational corporations is increasingly restricting the state's ability to shape national and international affairs and is putting increasing pressure on the national welfare state.

The research focus on international and comparative political economy is reflected in the team's active participation in the International Political Economy (IPÖ) working group of the German Political Science Association (DVPW). More information about the IPÖ working group of the DVPW can be found here.