Nationalism is often presented as a purely political or cultural ideology whose proponents are uninterested in the minutiae of economic policy. In this talk, Marvin Suesse shows that nationalists do in fact think about the economy, and that this thinking matters once they hold power. Drawing on case studies from the American Revolution to the rise of China, he explains the varieties of economic nationalism, elucidates their origins, and analyses their effect on the development of the global economy. At the root of economic nationalism's appeal is its ability to capitalise upon economic inequality, both domestic and international. These inequalities are reinforced by political factors such as empire building, ethnic conflicts, and financial crises. This has given rise to powerful nationalist movements that have decisively shaped the global exchange of goods, people, and capital.

Marvin Suesse is Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland and Director of Research at the Centre for Economics, Policy and History (CEPH). His work focuses on international political economy. He has previously published on the relationship between globalization and state formation in twentieth-century Africa (2023), market integration and financialization in Imperial Germany (2020) and regional disintegration in the former Soviet Union (2018). His first book, "The Nationalist Dilemma" was published by Cambridge University Press in 2023. He holds a PhD in economic history from Humboldt University Berlin.