Geoeconomic Competition

In this episode, Francesca Ghiretti chats with Tobias Gehrke, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and an expert in European economic security. The episode unpacks US tariffs agains the EU, EU response and potential future response and what may be in the EU's playbook.

The episode unpacks the EU Green Industrial Plan, Francesca is joined by Simone Tagliapietra, Senior fellow at Bruegel and Professor of Energy, Climate and Environmental Policy at the Catholic University of Milan and at The Johns Hopkins University - School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Europe. We talk about the six pillars of the plan, path to implementation, challenges and the relationship with defence industrial policy.

In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti talks with Philip Luck, Director of the CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business. He served in the Biden-Harris administration as the deputy chief economist at the U.S. Department of State. As the Trump administration keeps adopting new tariffs, we investigate what the are the main drivers of the US economic statecraft toolbox, and what may be future developments for tariffs and beyond.

In this special episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti talks with Guido Alfani, Professor Economic History at Bocconi University in Milan and author of "As Gods among Men. A History of the Rich in the West". As 2025 brings new challenges, this unusual episode delves in some of the key questions of our time explored in the book such as how the rich historically helped their societies in times of crisis, why they no longer do, and what that may mean for social stability. 

In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti talks with Emily Kilcrease senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), and co-host of CNAS' podcast De-risky Business. The episode dives into the details of the AI Diffusions Framework with an eye to the implication for US' partners. It unpacks the innovative elements of the framework, how they impact US partners and whether it may become a blueprint for future economic security measures.

In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti talks with Dr. Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation. The episode analyses the case and long adventure of Nippon Steel's acquisition of US Steel. Despite the lack of clear national security threats, the deal has been (temporarily) blocked by US President, Joe Biden. The episode analyses the importance of this case in the broader picture of how investment screening may be changing, the growing tension between national security and competitiveness and how the picture may change with the forthcoming Trump presidency.  Link to book "Chinese investments and the economic security turn in Europe": https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/chinese-investments-and-the-economic-security-turn-in-europe 

In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti talks with Cecilia Trasi, Research Analyst at Bruegel. The episode analyses the case of Swedish battery manufacturing Northvolt. Why it was/is the big European hope in battery manufacturing? What led it to file for bankruptcy? What can Europe learn from this?

In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti talks with Barath Harithas, Senior fellow in the Economics Program and Scholl Chair for International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The episode analyses the elements of (potential) continuity and the differences in the approach to China of the first and second Trump Presidency. It dives into tariffs and export controls, the appointments made so far and recommendations of things to keep an eye on. 

In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti talks with Matthew Goodman, distinguished fellow and director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where he also leads RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership, a CFR initiative that explores the U.S. role in the international economy. Based on Trump's first term as President, the developments of the past years and the announcements done during the campaign, the episode delivers an early assessment of the potential economic policies of the second Trump Presidency, and what could be their impact on US economy and on partners. 

In this special edition of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti talks with Ignacio Garcia Bercero, former DG Trade and Bruegel non-resident Senior Fellow. The episode dives into the EU's tariffs on imports of EVs from China, asking how we got to this point, why EVs were the main concern, what is the future trajectory of the dispute between the EU and China and whether the label of Trade War is justified at this point.