Department of International Economics

Economics is a key building block to understand many of the motivations behind international relations. At the department of international economics, we equip students with a sound grounding in the principles of economics. The core of the economics program offered by the department lies in the field of international economics – a discipline of economics which deals with interactions between economies that arise through trade and financial flows. A high degree of globalisation involves more competition between countries, which typically creates winners and losers in the domestic economy. To understand international policy, it is hence of ample importance to have a solid knowledge of trade policy as well as the international financial system. In addition, the department has a second focus on sustainable development. Students will delve deeper into questions such as what countries, civil society and private actors can do to put economic growth on an environmentally sound footing or why some countries grow faster, while others stay poor.
 


"At the Vienna School of International Studies (DA), we pursue a fact and research-driven approach to teaching economics. This implies that lectures cover the discussion of current policy issues and relate them to cutting edge research in the field of the lecturers’ specialisation. The research orientation at the DA ensures that students are encouraged to solve economic problems early on, and helps in the development of career-relevant specialist and personal skills."
Martin Feldkircher
Professor of International Economics

Course list

1. Economic foundations & methods

These courses cover foundational economic principles and tools:

  • Principles of Economics – Martin FELDKIRCHER
  • Introduction to Quantitative Empirical Analysis – Katja KALKSCHMIED
  • Econometrics - Quantitative Methods in Economics – Jesus CRESPO CUARESMA
  • History of Economic Thoughts – Alexander LINSBICHLER

2. International & European Economics

Focus on global trade, integration, and migration:

  • International Economics – Martin FELDKIRCHER / Werner NEUDECK
  • The Economics of the European Union – Werner NEUDECK / Aurel SCHUBERT
  • Digital International Economics – Annabelle GAWER
  • Economics and politics of international migration – Rainer MÜNZ
  • Geoeconomics: Globalization and Economic Statecraft – Gabriel FELBERMAYR / Katrin KAMIN
  • Seminar: International Trade – Mauro CASELLI
  • Economic Diplomacy, Current Topics – Elisabeth KORNFEIND

3. Development & Growth Economics

Courses on development theory, policy, and growth:

  • Introductory Issues in Economic Development – Michael G. PLUMMER
  • Economic growth and development: Selected topics – Jesus CRESPO CUARESMA
  • Advanced Topics in Development Economics – Valentin SEIDLER

4. Monetary, Financial & Banking Economics

Dealing with money, banking systems, and financial institutions:

  • Principles of Finance – Thomas GEHRIG
  • Seminar: Select topics in money, credit and banking – Martin FELDKIRCHER
  • Negotiating an Economic Adjustment Program – Markus ELLER / Reiner MARTIN

5. Behavioural, Demographic and Climate Economics

Courses that focus on behavioral aspects and demographic and climate challenges:

  • Seminar: Behavioural Economics – Ben GREINER / Kerstin GROSCH
  • Seminar: Economic Consequences of Population Ageing – Thomas FENT
  • Environmental Economics – Tamás KRISZTIN

Master Thesis Supervision

We welcome proposals across all economic fields, but students who have completed one of our methodological courses—such as Quantitative Empirical Analysis, Econometrics—and plan an empirical contribution in their thesis will be given priority in supervision.

For full details, see our  Thesis Guidelines (PDF).

You can also explore past student work in our previous thesis groups (see tabs below).

Thesis Groups

Academic year 2024-25

Economics Thesis Group 2024-25

From left to right:

  • IBRAHIM Zingnaa Bashar (Understanding the Persistence of Galamsey in Ghana: Implications for Environmental Sustainability and Access to International Green Financing)
  • KALKSCHMIED Katja (supervisor)
  • FIDLER Matthias (Cash in the EU: A Pillar of Financial Freedom, Accessibility, and Crisis Resilience)
  • SHEPOVALOV Aleksandr (Official Development Assistance and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Linking Econometric Evidence To Political Realities)
  • VETTER Luca Phileas (Impacts of Geopolitical Risk on Inflation Expectations in the Eurozone - Estimating Deep Conditional Transformation Models with Neural Networks)
  • BORRERO GUTIERREZ Juan Felipe (The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and its Effect on The Multilateral Development Financial System and ASEAN Countries: An Analysis of Voting Power)
  • ZWIAUER Denise (The Impact of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on Developing Economies. A Case Study of Mozambique)
  • STILLING Marcus Dahlin (Linking Trade to Peace: Supply Chain Dependency as a Modern Deterrent Strategy)
  • FELDKIRCHER Martin (supervisor)

Academic year 2023-24

Economics Thesis Group 2023-24

From left to right:

  • PETERNELL Thomas (Global monetary aggregates and their influence on price-level and output)
  • HAN Lu (Unveiling Links between Inflation and The Shadow Economy: A VAR Approach)
  • FELDKIRCHER Martin (supervisor)
  • KALKSCHMIED Katja (supervisor)
  • TELIHA Viktoriya (Climate-related speeches by central banks: a political discourse of the green communication)
  • HUBER Tamina (Unveiling the Nutrition Transition: The Role of Sugar Content in Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in Economic Development and Sugar Consumption Patterns)
  • RETTENBACHER Karoline Beate (Silencing the Guns: Economic Sanctions in Times of Conflict Their Theory, Role, and Effectiveness)

 

Economics Thesis Group 2023-24

From left to right:

  • FELDKIRCHER Martin (supervisor)
  • BAUER Judith (Milking the Industry. The EU’s Dairy Policy Impact on the Regional Economy and Social Order Within the EU and ECOWAS.)
  • TUKSA Julia Katharina (Understanding the Dynamics of Foreign Aid in Rebuilding Developing Economies Following Natural Disasters: A Case Study of the 2017 Kermanshah Earthquake)
  • LAWAL Fathia (The Geopolitics of Financing Renewable Energy Transition in Ghana)
  • KALKSCHMIED Katja (supervisor)

Faculty