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Project Overview

Project Code: SOT 02

Project name:

The International Political Economy of Critical Raw Materials

TUM Department:

SOT - Governance

TUM Chair / Institute:

Chair for International Relations (Munich School of Politics & Public Policy at TUM)

Research area:

Comparative Politics/IR, Economics, Sustainability/Environment

Student background:

Ecology and Ecosystem ManagementEnvironmental EngineeringManagement / EconomicsPolitical Science / GovernanceSustainability

Further disciplines:

Participation also possible online only:

Planned project location:

Hochschule für Politik/Munich School of Politics and Public Policy
Richard-Wagner Str. 1
80333 München (central/main Munich city campus)

Project Supervisor - Contact Details


Title:

Prof. Dr.

Given name:

Tim

Family name:

Büthe

E-mail:

buthe@hfp.tum.de

Phone:

(+49) 89 / 907793-100

Additional Project Supervisor - Contact Details


Title:

Given name:

Chris

Family name:

Schönherr

E-mail:

chris.schoenherr@tum.de

Phone:

Additional Project Supervisor - Contact Details


Title:

Given name:

Family name:

E-mail:

Phone:

Project Description


Project description:

Climate change urgently requires transitioning from carbon-based to sustainable sources of energy. The energy transition, however, is driving up the demand for a host of "critical raw materials" (CRMs: non-energy raw materials such as Aluminum, Lithium, Silicon, and "rare earth" metals, needed for wind turbines, solar panels, energy storage, etc., for which there are few or no known substitutes). Their extraction, however, causes negative environmental and health externalities. And many of these raw materials are only available from countries that are politically unstable and increasingly willing to use their chokepoint positions in the global supply chain for political leverage.
As a PREP-Program student researcher, you will participate in ongoing research at the Chair for International Relations (in collaboration with research teams from across TUM linked through the Circular Economy Mission Network https://www.mission-networks.tum.de/en/circular-economy/home/) to advance our understanding of the comparative and international political economy of critical raw materials. We focus on tracing supply chains and explaining the variation in government and private efforts to ensure access to these materials, alleviate shortages through increased "circular economy" recovery, and overcome shortages through innovations.

Working hours per week planned:

35

Prerequisites


Required study level minimum (at time of TUM PREP project start):

2 years of bachelor studies completed

Subject related:

Basic training in a social science, preferably political science/government, public policy, or economics is critical; interest in sustainability or climate change/environmental policy and related fields such as environmental engineering is a plus.

Other:

A great opportunity to gain interdisciplinary research experience bridging basic (social) science and policy-relevance

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