Over the past decade, economic relations have become highly politicised—and in some cases, securitised—due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the rise of economic coercion, and the return of trade war.

Governments have become acutely aware of the vulnerabilities associated with interdependence and attempted to bolster their economic resilience through both domestic measures and international cooperation. At the same time, many governments have also attempted to wield economic statecraft, both as “sticks” to punish other countries through sanctions, tariffs, and export controls, as well as “carrots” to entice cooperation through promises of aid, trade, and investment. However, despite increasing academic debate and policymaking related to economic security and economic statecraft, there is no agreement about the definitions of these terms and little consideration of how they relate to one another.

This symposium, co-convened by the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies and the Blavatnik School of Government, brings together leading experts on economic security and economic statecraft to share views on how debates and policies on these issues are evolving in different regions of the world. The time is ripe for deeper discussion of these issues and consideration of what insights might be drawn from the Japanese, European, and American experiences, as well as how countries might more effectively work together.

Full schedule

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