Market Makers: The Politics of Market Design

Episode 4 features an engaging conversation with Associate Professor Jack Seddon from the Faculty of Political Science and Economics. Hosted by Fabian, a PhD student at Waseda’s Graduate School of Economics, this episode uncovers “the hidden architecture of the global economy.” Prof. Seddonshares insights from his research on the London Metal Exchange, revealing how global markets are shaped not only by economic forces but also by deep political struggles and institutional design. The discussion also delves into Prof.Seddon’s personal journey from capital markets lawyer to academic researcher, his experience working in Japan, and what makes the Faculty of Political Science and Economics’ English-based degree programs a unique place to studyinternational political economy.

This episode is based on the following research: 
Jack Seddon (2020) Merchants against the bankers: the financialization of a commodity market, Review of International Political Economy, 27:3, 525-555.

About the Guest

Associate Professor Jack Seddon joined Waseda in 2019, where he works at the intersection between international political economy and economic history, employing theories of institutionalism and mixed research methods. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford and has held visiting positions at the University of Pennsylvania, the Graduate Institute in Geneva, the European University Institute, and Georgetown University. Prof. Seddon is part of the Sterling Area Revisited Project, funded by the United Kingdom Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). He was also awarded a Lloyd’s of London UK-US Fulbright Scholarship in 2019-2020 to examine issues in global risk markets. Before beginning his graduate studies, he worked as a capital markets lawyer in London and Brussels.

Link to the transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/86307