International economics concerns the economic interaction among countries. Why do countries trade with each other and/or invest across national borders?

Recent decades have seen the expansion of ever-closer economic ties between countries. There has been massive growth in international trade and movement of capital. Central to this field of research is understanding movements across national borders – movements of goods and services, capital, technology and labour. Such movements may have different consequences for different countries. Relevant factors can include geography, income levels and distribution, institutions and governance, as well as access to factors of production like natural resources, capital and various types of labour-power.

Studies of international economics at NUPI seek answers to questions like these:

• What determines the flows of international trade and capital?
• What can politicians do, nationally and internationally, to influence these flows?
• What are the consequences of economic globalization?