Witten/Herdecke University, which was founded in 1982, is Germany's first privately funded university. At present, it has a staff of more than 800 employees serving over 2,600 students. The university is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and, accordingly, to tackling the complex challenges of meeting these goals. We aim to contribute through our teaching and research to overcoming the climate crisis and to shaping a sustainable, liveable, just, and viable society. In line with this objective, we strive to make our administration and life on our campus as climate-friendly and socially responsible as possible.
Within the context of the newly starting BMBF project “Climate change and global finance at the crossroads: Policy challenges, politico-economic dynamics, and sustainable transformation” at the Heisenberg Professorship of Politics, Transformation and Sustainability (Prof Dr Joscha Wullweber) in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Economics, we are recruiting for the earliest entry date possible
three research associates (65% to 100% PhD or postdoc positions) (f/d/m) in the field of climate change and global finance.
The appointment is limited to three years. Other part-time models are also possible. Follow-up financing is planned at an early stage.
Project aim
Large-scale investment flows are required to decarbonize the economy, society and the state in order for genuine progress to be made in tackling the effects of climate change. Financial players, however, are highly reluctant to change their investment strategies, and so far financial policies have not been very effective in redirecting investments into more sustainable assets and sectors. The BMBF project aims to evaluate internal financial market dynamics and the responsiveness of financial actors related to regulations, climate/fiscal policy, and monetary policy. The project explores how to steer the financial sector toward more sustainable investments, while avoiding major financial crises as a result of regulations (e.g. large-scale stranded assets, “success as failure”) which might seriously hinder or even prevent progress toward sustainable pathways. The goal is to draft realistic proposals for policy instruments and strategies designed to incentivize and push the financial sector towards sustainable investments.
Governing the conduct of financial players accordingly implies influencing the very logic behind their profit-seeking and investment strategies. Central banks and finance ministries can play a pivotal role in this regard. This also means considering alternative means by which state power is or can be exercised and finding different approaches to shape the economy and financial markets. Data (interviews, documents) will be analysed with the computer-aided qualitative and mixed methods data analysis software program MAXQDA. Analysis will be structured and guided by a solid theoretical framework consisting, above others, of theories of International Political Economy, state theories, conflict theories, and reflexive theories of financial performativity.
