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Andreas Bieler

Professor of Political Economy, Faculty of Social Sciences

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Biography

Andreas Bieler is Professor of Political Economy and Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice. His general expertise is in the area of International Relations/International Political Economy theories and the analysis of European integration as well as resistance to neo-liberal globalisation with a particular emphasis on the possible role of trade unions.

The general aim of his research is to understand the current struggles over the future European Union (EU) economic-political model with a particular focus on the possibilities for resistance against the emerging neo-liberal, Anglo-American model of capitalism.

For downloadable samples of his work, please go to: http://nottingham.ac.uk/~ldzab/Sample publications.htm

Administrative roles:

  • Ph.D. admissions tutor;
  • Convenor of staff seminar series;

Teaching Summary

Prof. Bieler has taught modules on European integration, European political economy, Comparative European Politics, International Political Economy as well as Theories of International Relations.… read more

Research Summary

Prof. Bieler's main research interest deals with the global dynamics of capitalism, neo-liberal globalisation and the possibilities for resistance. This includes an analysis of the struggles over the… read more

Recent Publications

  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A.D., 2010. Poststructuralism and the Randomisation of History: the “taboo” of historical materialism. In: MOORE, C. and FARRANDS, C., eds., International Relations Theory and Philosophy: Interpretive Dialogues London: Routledge. 157-71
  • BIELER, A., 2010. Az európai munkásság reakciója a globalizáció, a neoliberális átalakulás és a növekvő egyenlőtlenség jelenségeire Eszmélet. 85(Spring), 48-70
  • BIELER, A and LINDBERG, I., eds., 2010. Global Restructuring, Labour and the Challenges for Transnational Solidarity London: Routledge.

Ph.D. supervision

I am interested in supervising students who want to work in the following areas:

  • Resistance to neo-liberal globalisation;
  • Trade unions and transnational solidarity;
  • European integration and political economy;
  • Historical materialist IR theory;

Ph.D. students

Supervision as first supervisor of successfully completed Ph.D. theses

Hang Chao - 'Regional Integration in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil and the case of Mercosur' (completed in November 2007);

Phoebe Moore - 'South Korea's Passive Revolution: Vocational Training, Global Restructuring and the Struggle for Hegemony' (completed in December 2004);

Peter Sandby-Thomas - 'The Legitimating Logic of Stability: Analysing the CCP's Stability Discourse' (completed in May 2008);

Kostas Tzortzis - 'The development of a common education policy in the EU' (completed in October 2007).

Supervision as second supervisor of successfully completed Ph.D. theses

Javier Argomaniz - 'Post-9/11 European Union Counter-terrorism: Institutionalisation and Consistency' (completed in November 2008);

Chris Hesketh - 'Spaces of Capital/Spaces of Resistance: Mexico and the global political economy' (completed in November 2010).

Current Ph.D. students

Max Crook - Gramsci, hegemony and the move to the centre by the Western European mainstream left (registered full time since September 2010, first supervisor).

Ertan Erol - The role of Turkish and Mexican capital in the formation of foreign policy re regional integration: EU and NAFTA compared (registered full time since September 2008, first supervisor);

Anisa Santoso - 'Migrant Workers Policy Making in ASEAN: a Two Level Analysis on Key Workers Sending Countries' (registered full time since September 2008, second supervisor);

Elif Uzgoren - 'Competing social forces in Turkey - EU relations' (registered full time since September 2008, first supervisor).

Prof. Bieler has taught modules on European integration, European political economy, Comparative European Politics, International Political Economy as well as Theories of International Relations. Most recently, he has co-convened the new module

M14128/29 - Social and Global Justice in Action (University of Nottingham)

This module is organised around problem-based learning and is informed by principles of 'critical pedagogy'. The content will stem from core issues in the field of social and global justice and teaching will be organised around a number of case studies, which will be presented as 'problems' e.g. 'What are the problems and issues surrounding 'food security' vs 'food sovereignty'?, or 'Why do social movements aim to challenge power relations outside of state power?'. Each week primary sources relating to such 'problems' in the field of social and global justice will be presented. These may take the form of a newspaper article, pictures, quotes or an extract from a book. Students will generate questions on the basis of this 'problem', which they will seek to answer for the next session. For each 'problem' a list with suggested readings will be given, which evaluate the 'problem' in a variety of ways from different perspectives. Students have the task to engage critically with a range of different perspectives in order to generate potential answers to the problem.

Further modules to date by Andreas Bieler include the following:

• MA module on European Politics and Policy (Cambridge and Nottingham University).

• MA module on International Political Economy (Nottingham University).

• MA module on Theories and Concepts in International Relations (Nottingham University).

• BA third year module on The Impact of Globalisation: European national and regional responses to global structural change (Nottingham University).

• BA second and third year module on West European Politics (Cambridge University).

• BA second year module on New Developments in IR theory (Nottingham University).

• BA second year module on Making Sense of European Integration (Nottingham University).

• BA first year module on Jean Monnet European Union Studies (Nottingham University).

• BA first year module on Analysis of Modern Politics (Cambridge University).

Current Research

Prof. Bieler's main research interest deals with the global dynamics of capitalism, neo-liberal globalisation and the possibilities for resistance. This includes an analysis of the struggles over the future European Union model of capitalism, the possibilities of national economic-political models different from a neo-liberal, Anglo-American model of capitalism, the potential role of trade unions in resistance against restructuring as well as theoretical discussions of how these struggles can be conceptualised from a historical materialist perspective.

Current research projects

1. Small European States in the Global Economy: Divergence or Convergence?

In 1985, Peter Katzenstein published his seminal work Small States in World Markets. His main argument was that small Western European countries pursued a similar economic strategy of combining international liberalisation with domestic compensation. The main purpose of this research project is to provide a comparative assessment of small European states in today's global economy and to assess whether they continue to have a distinctive approach of how to respond to economic change or whether they too have converged around a neo-liberal economic-political model. The project will include an analysis of Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.

2. 'Global Capitalism, Class Struggle and World Order: Rethinking Historical Materialism' (together with Adam David Morton):

Andreas Bieler and Adam David Morton are currently working towards a new book that aims to rethink the contributions of historical materialism to understanding global capitalism in terms of transnational restructuring and the centrality of class struggle in constituting and contesting world order.

3. Trade unions, free trade and the problem of transnational solidarity:

Resistance against free trade agreements based on an expanded trade agenda including issues related to intellectual property rights, trade in services and trade related investment measures, has increased since the demonstrations at the WTO ministerial conference in Seattle in 1999. While the WTO Doha negotiations have broken down, the EU and USA are increasingly engaged in bilateral free trade agreements building upon this expanded trade agenda.

Free trade strategies have more and more become a problem for the international labour movement. While trade unions in the North especially in manufacturing have supported free trade agreements to secure export markets for their companies, trade unions in the Global South oppose these agreements, since they often imply deindustrialisation.

The purpose of this project is to understand better the dynamics underlying free trade as well as explore possibilities for transnational solidarity. Methodologically, academics, trade union researchers and social movement activists will meet in a two-day workshop on 2 and 3 December 2011 at the Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice to discuss these issues in detail.

  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A.D., 2010. Poststructuralism and the Randomisation of History: the “taboo” of historical materialism. In: MOORE, C. and FARRANDS, C., eds., International Relations Theory and Philosophy: Interpretive Dialogues London: Routledge. 157-71
  • BIELER, A., 2010. Az európai munkásság reakciója a globalizáció, a neoliberális átalakulás és a növekvő egyenlőtlenség jelenségeire Eszmélet. 85(Spring), 48-70
  • BIELER, A and LINDBERG, I., eds., 2010. Global Restructuring, Labour and the Challenges for Transnational Solidarity London: Routledge.
  • BIELER, A., BRUFF, I. and MORTON, A.D., 2010. Acorns and Fruit: from totalisation to periodisation in the critique of capitalism Capital and Class. 34(1), 25-37
  • BIELER, A., LINDBERG, I. and SAUERBORN, W., 2010. After thirty years of deadlock: labour’s possible strategies in the new global order Globalizations. 7(1-2), 247-60
  • BIELER, A., 2009. Globalization and Regional Integration: The Possibilities and Problems for Trade Unions to Resist Neo-liberal Restructuring in Europe. In: VAN APELDOORN, B., DRAHOKOUPIL, J. and HORN, L., eds., Contradictions and Limits of Neoliberal European Governance: From Lisbon to Lisbon Basingstoke: Palgrave. 232-49
  • A. BIELER AND A. D. MORTON, 2008. The Deficits of Discourse in IPE: turning base metal into gold? International Studies Quarterly. 52(1), 103-28
  • BIELER, A., 2008. ‘Trade unions and European integration: theoretical and empirical considerations’ Labor History. 49(1), 118-23
  • BIELER, ANDREAS, INGEMAR LINDBERG AND DEVAN PILLAY, ed., 2008. Labour and the Challenges of Globalisation: What prospects for transnational solidarity? London: Pluto Press.
  • BIELER, A., 2008. 'Labour and the Struggle over the future European model of capitalism: British and Swedish trade unions and their positions on EMU and European co-operation' British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 10(1), 85-105
  • BIELER, A., 2007. Der Kampf für ein soziales Europa: Gewerkschaften und die neoliberale Umstrukturierung der Europäischen Union Kurswechsel. No.1, 6-15
  • BIELER, A., 2006. The struggle for a social Europe: trade unions and EMU in times of global restructuring Manchester: Manchester University Press.
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D. (EDS.), 2006. Images of Gramsci: connections and contentions in political theory and international relations London: Routledge.
  • BIELER, A., BONEFELD, W., BURNHAM, P. and MORTON, A., 2006. Global restructuring, state, capital and labour: contesting neo-Gramscian perspectives Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • BIELER, A. and LINDBERG, I., 2006. Blagult fack och granslost kapital - vagval for svensk fackforeningsrorelse Premis Forlag, Stockholm.
  • BIELER, A., 2006. Labour and the Resistance to Neoliberal Restructuring Labour History. 47(1), 95-101
  • BIELER, A., 2005. The 'Demise' of the Swedish Model: Globalisation, Neoliberalism and Class Struggle. In: MOSS, B., ed., Monetary Union in Crisis: The European Union as a Neo-Liberal Construction Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Basingstoke, UK. 266-80
  • BIELER, A., 2005. Class Struggle over the EU Model of Capitalism: Neo-Gramscian Perspectives and the Analysis of European Integration Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy. VOL 8(NUMB 4), 513-526
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D., 2004. A critical theory route to hegemony, world order and historical change: neo-Gramscian perspectives in international relations Capital and Class. 82, 85-114
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D., 2004. 'Another Europe is possible'? Labour and social movements at the European Social Forum Globalizations. 1(2), 305-327
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D., 2004. Unthinking materialism? British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 6(2), 238-240
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D., 2003. Globalisation, the state and class struggle: a 'critical economy' engagement with open Marxism British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 5(4), 467-499
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D., 2003. Neo-Gramscianische Perspektiven in den internationalen Beziehungen. In: , ed., Theorien der internationalen Beziehungen Opladen: Leske + Budrich. 337-362
  • BIELER, A., 2003. Swedish Trade Unions and Economic and Monetary Union: The European Union Membership Debate Revisited? COOPERATION AND CONFLICT. VOL 38(PART 4), 385-408
  • BIELER, A., 2002. The struggle over EU enlargement: a historical materialist analysis of European integration Journal of European Public Policy. 9(4), 575-597
  • BIELER, A., 2002. Austria's and Sweden's accession to the European Union: a comparative neo-Gramscian analysis. In: BRESLIN, S. ET AL, ed., New Regionalism(s) in the Global Political Economy: Theories and Cases Routledge, London and New York. 150-62
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A.D., 2001. The Gordian knot of agency-structure in international relations: a neo-Gramscian perspective European Journal of International Relations. 7(1), 5-35
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D., 2001. Introduction: neo-Gramscian perspectives in international political economy and the relevance to European integration. In: BIELER, A. and MORTON, A.D., eds., Social forces in the making of the new Europe: the restructuring of European social relations in the global political economy Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 3-24
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D., 2001. Conclusion: thinking about future European social relations. In: BIELER, A. and MORTON A.D., eds., Social forces in the making of the new Europe: the restructuring of European social relations in the global political economy Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 207-217
  • BIELER, A. and MORTON, A. D. (EDS.), 2001. Social forces in the making of the new Europe: the restructuring of European social relations in the global political economy Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • BIELER, A. AND S. TORJESEN, 2001. 'Strength through Unity? A Comparative Analysis of Splits in the Austrian, Norwegian and Swedish Labour Movements over EU Membership',. In: BIELER, A. and MORTON, A.D., eds., Social Forces in the Making of the New Europe: the restructuring of European social relations in the global political economy. Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Basingstoke, UK. 115-36
  • BIELER, A., 2000. Globalisation and the 1995 EU enlargement: a neo-Gramscian perspective, Current Politics and Economics of Europe. 9(2), 215-30.
  • BIELER, A., 2000. Globalisation and Enlargement of the European Union: Austrian and Swedish Social Forces in the Struggle over Membership Routledge, London and New York.
  • HIGGOTT, R., UNDERHILL, G. and BIELER, A., 2000. Introduction: Globalisation and Non-State Actors,. In: HIGGOTT, R., UNDERHILL, G. and BIELER, A., eds., Non-State Actors and Authority in the Global System Routledge, London and New York. 1-12.
  • HIGGOTT, R., UNDERHILL, G. and BIELER, A., eds., 2000. Non-State Actors and Authority in the Global System Routledge, London and New York.
  • BIELER, A., 1999. Globalization, Swedish Trade Unions and European Integration: From Europhobia to Conditional Support COOPERATION AND CONFLICT. VOL 34(NUMBER 1), 21-46
  • BIELER, A., 1998. Austria's Application to the European Community: A Neo-Gramscian Case-study of European Integration New Political Economy. VOL 3(NUMBER 1), 27-44

School of Politics and International Relations

University of Nottingham
University Park, Nottingham
NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 4862
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email: politics-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk