FASoS researchers join international research network on changing trade politics

Johan Adriaensen, Anna Herranz Surrallés, Aneta Spendzharova and Sophie Vanhoonacker are joining a new international research network that will study how geopolitical tensions and changing attitudes towards free trade are reshaping trade politics in North America and Europe.

The Research Network on Trade Politics in North America and Europe (TRADEPOL) is a seven-year international collaboration supported by a Partnership Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Coordinated by Carleton University in Ottawa, the network brings together 20 partner organisations and more than 40 researchers and policy professionals from both sides of the Atlantic.

Maastricht University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS) is one of the partner organisations in the network and will receive €123,000 in funding for its involvement. 

Trade in a changing geopolitical landscape

International trade is no longer shaped by economic interests alone. Growing geopolitical tensions and changing attitudes towards free trade are increasingly influencing how countries trade and work together.

TRADEPOL will study how these changes are affecting trade politics in North America and Europe. Researchers will look at who is gaining or losing influence, which topics are becoming more important in discussions about trade, and how new political alliances are forming.

The network will also create a Trade Politics Database, mapping public debates about trade over a twenty-year period from 2013 to 2032. It will organise research and policy workshops to bring academics and policy professionals together. Summer schools, professional exchanges and internships will also provide opportunities for students and professionals to learn from and contribute to the network.

Through these activities, TRADEPOL aims to bring research and policy closer together and contribute to a better-informed public debate about the future of international trade.

About the Partnership Grant

TRADEPOL is supported by the Partnership Grants programme of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The programme supports large research collaborations between universities and other organisations, helping them work together, train researchers and share their knowledge beyond academia.

TRADEPOL received approximately €1.55 million in SSHRC funding to support its activities over the seven-year project period.

The funding was announced as part of a wider Government of Canada investment in social sciences and humanities research aimed at addressing social, cultural and economic challenges.