Digitalization, Geopolitics, and Global Fragmentation: New Challenges of Globalization 2400-PL3SL329A
Digitalization transforms fundamental mechanisms of the global economy: data become a new production factor, digital platforms reshape flows of trade and labor, and states compete for technological and informational advantages. Simultaneously, globalization fragmentation processes intensify, highlighting the growing importance of digital sovereignty, data protection, and cross-border control.
Throughout the seminar, students will examine how digital transformation impacts real economic processes—trade, investment, migration, and development—and how geopolitical and regulatory tensions shape an increasingly divided global economic order. Bachelor theses will be based on student-led analyses using reputable data sources (World Bank, IMF, Eurostat, OECD, UNCTAD, DESI), integrating quantitative and qualitative methods.
The seminar targets students interested in the digital economy, international economics, and developmental challenges of Industry 4.0.
Proposed research areas (examples):
Digitalization and new global divisions
How does digital infrastructure development reinforce or reduce the global digital divide?
Are digital development disparities between the Global North and South widening or narrowing? Empirical analysis of selected regions.
Digital fragmentation and data geopolitics
How do data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR in the EU, restrictions in China) influence digital flows between countries?
Do increasing digital trade barriers (digital tariffs, data controls) lead to digital service deglobalization?
Digital platforms and new trade models
How does the growth of digital platforms (Amazon, Alibaba) transform international trade structures in services and goods?
Does the use of digital platforms improve export quality in developing economies?
Artificial intelligence and new competitive advantages
How do AI investments shape national competitive advantages in trade of goods and services?
Do countries with higher AI utilization achieve greater added value in global value chains?
Semiconductor geopolitics and technological sovereignty
How do semiconductor value chains evolve due to US-China tensions?
Can programs supporting semiconductor production (e.g., CHIPS Act) regionalize the technology industry?
Digitalization and economic resilience
Does a higher digitalization level increase national resilience to global economic shocks (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic)?
How did digital service trade flows change during the COVID-19 pandemic? A comparative analysis for the EU and ASEAN.
The instructor is the Director of DELab UW, an interdisciplinary research center focused on the digital economy. She specializes in international economics, digital transformation, and the impact of new technologies on labor markets, investments, and international trade structures. The seminar emphasizes partner dialogue, developing research competencies, and promoting critical and creative thinking about contemporary challenges.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
K_W01 – knows key processes of economic digital transformation and their impacts on globalization,
K_W02 – understands concepts like digital sovereignty, global digital economic fragmentation, and data geopolitics,
K_W03 – knows foundational theories and models concerning international trade and technological innovation in the digital age.
Skills:
K_U01 – independently formulates research questions and hypotheses related to digitalization and globalization challenges,
K_U02 – can find, select, and analyze primary international statistical data,
K_U03 – applies analytical tools (including data visualization) and prepares concise research syntheses,
K_U04 – constructs coherent, logical, methodologically correct research based on empirical data and scholarly literature.
Social competencies:
K_K01 – responsibly manages own research project and systematically works on data analyses,
K_K02 – is prepared for critical analysis of contemporary economic and technological challenges, considering diverse perspectives,
K_K03 – understands the significance of ethics in research, responsible data use, and accurate reporting of research outcomes.
Methods and criteria of evaluation:
Work methods:
Research project (bachelor thesis) based on empirical data and scholarly literature,
Individual and group consultations during seminars.
Assessment criteria:
correctness of research question and hypothesis formulation,
adequacy of selected data and analytical methods,
ability to interpret research outcomes within scholarly context,
clarity of structure and argumentation,
linguistic, editorial, and source correctness,
punctuality in preparing thesis elements.
Assessment criteria
Work methods:
Research project (bachelor thesis) based on empirical data and scholarly literature,
Individual and group consultations during seminars.
Assessment criteria:
correctness of research question and hypothesis formulation,
adequacy of selected data and analytical methods,
ability to interpret research outcomes within scholarly context,
clarity of structure and argumentation,
linguistic, editorial, and source correctness,
punctuality in preparing thesis elements.
Bibliography
Mandatory:
Śledziewska, K., & Włoch, R. (2021). The Economics of Digital Transformation: The Disruption of Markets, Production, Consumption, and Work. Routledge.
Baldwin, R. (2016). The Great Convergence: Information Technology and the New Globalization. Harvard University Press.
Aaronson, S. A. (2021). Data Is Power: How the World Struggles to Govern AI, Big Data, and Digital Trade. Brookings Institution.
Ciuriak, D., & Ptashkina, M. (2021). "The Geopolitics of the Digital Economy," Journal of International Business Policy.
Kenney, M., & Zysman, J. (2016). "The rise of the platform economy," Issues in Science and Technology.
Supplementary:
Castells, M. (2002). The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society. Oxford University Press.
Rodríguez-Crespo, E., & Martínez-Zarzoso, I. (2019). "Digital infrastructure and trade in services: An empirical analysis," Review of World Economics.
Yeung, H. W. (2022). "The geopolitics of semiconductor value chains," Economic Geography.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: