Robin Jaspert M.A.

Research associate

I am a PhD candidate in the DFG Research Training Group “Standards of Governance”, which takes place in cooperation with the TU Darmstadt. Within the Research Training Group and my PhD, I investigate the links between monetary sovereignty or dependence with standard setting in fiscal regimes and local power struggles. Prior to this work, I completed my bachelor’s degree in political science and anthropology and attained my master’s degree in economic sociology with honours at Goethe University.

From October 2018 to April 2023, I was employed as a student assistant at the department for International Relations and International Political Economy. Initially I provided teaching support and literature research, from April 2021 onwards my focus shifted to data research in the DFG project “Financialization and State Capitalism: The Governance of Capital Markets in the BRICSS”. During my master studies, I was a lecturer at the Institute of Sociology at LMU Munich for several semesters.

Research interests

I investigate current social developments from the perspective of critical political economy, with a focus on the political economy of financial markets. I am currently primarily concerned with monetary and central bank policy, historical perspectives on dependency relations and power relations in global capitalism, sovereign debt, and the design of ‘sustainable’ financial products. I prefer to work in teams and with a combination of critical theoretical perspectives and descriptive financial data.

Teaching

Winter Term 2023/2024	Free University of Berlin: “Colonialism, Hereditary Racial Slavery, Patriarchal Economic Organization: the Roots of Transatlatic Capitalism?” M.A. seminar
Winter Term 2021/2022	Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich: “Feminist Political Economy. Or: More than a Side Contradiction.” B.A. Seminar.
Summer Term 2021	“On the Political Economy of Financial Markets. A critical introduction” – B.A. Seminar.
Winter Term 2020/2021	“From Black Gold to Climate Killer – How Normative Processes Create or Destroy Economic Values. Political Economy and Economic Sociology of the Green New Deal” – M.A.Seminar – Together with Prof. Dr. Bernhard Gill.

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Publications

In addition to my academic work, I work as a journalist-publicist, most regularly for Jacobin and nd, but also for Der Freitag, Migazin and Analyse & Kritik. In addition to political economy, I am currently working on migration, refugees, and the climate crisis. These works can be found in full on my Torial profile, here I only list my academic works or those with a strong connection to my core academic topics. 

Peer Reviewed Journal Article:

Fichtner, Jan; Jaspert, Robin; Petry, Johannes (2023):”Mind the ESG capital allocation gap: The role of index providers, standard-setting, and ‘green’ indices for the creation of sustainability impact.” Regulation and Governance – online first.

Working Paper:

Fichtner, Jan; Jaspert, Robin; Petry, Johannes (2023): „Mind the ESG gaps: Transmission mechanisms and the governance of and by sustainable finance“. DIIS

Book Chapter:

Fichtner, Jan; Jaspert, Robin; Petry, Johannes (2024) “ESG: ‘sustainable’ investing and the risk of infrastructural lock-in“, Pre-Print, in: Westermeier, Carola; Campbell-Verduyn, Malcom; Brandl, Barbara: The Cambridge Companion to Financial Infrastructure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  Working Paper.

Book Review:

Jaspert, Robin (2024): „Debating continuity and rupture in the sovereign lending nexus – Quentin Bruneau, States and the Masters of Capital: Sovereign lending, Old and New“ Finance and Society – online first. 

Essays, Articles & Columns (Selection):

Jaspert, Robin (2024): „Schuldenschnitt für BRD: Das „Wirtschaftswunder“, das keines war“. nd die Woche.

Jaspert, Robin (2024): „How Europe Made Indebted African States Into Its Border Police” Jacobin DE & US.

Jaspert, Robin; Kullick, Niklas (2023): „Klimapolitischer Teufelskreis: Wie die herrschende Wirtschaftspolitik die Energiewende blockiert“. Emanzipation 7.2.

Petry, Johannes; Fichtner, Jan; Jaspert, Robin (2023): „Who decides what ESG is and how to make investments greener – new research“. The Conversation.

Jaspert, Robin (2023): „Mit Unsinn tiefer in die Klimakrise“. nd-aktuell, 7. August.

Jaspert, Robin; Kullick, Niklas (2023): „Die Verwobenen Pfade der Inflation“. In: LuXemburg-Magazin.

Jaspert, Robin (2023): “EZB-Leitzinserhöhung verringert Inflation nicht”. nd-aktuell, 15. März 2023.

Jaspert Robin; Graack, Nico; Wagner, Louise (2023): „Germany Had Ist Debts Written Off. Today, We Should Do the Same for the Global South“. Jacobin DE & US.

Jaspert, Robin (2022):“Central Bank Capitalism is Forcing the Global South Into a Debt Crisis“. Jacobin DE & US & The Wire.

Reports for NGOs & Policy Briefs:

Fichtner, Jan; Jaspert, Robin; Petry, Johannes (2023): „What needs to change for green funds to be truly green”. DIIS Policy Brief.

Jaspert, Robin (2021): „Dividenden und Kurzarbeit in Deutschland. Der Staat springt ein – Shareholder profitieren?“. (Für Facing Finance)

Jaspert, Robin (2021): „Koloniale Kontinuität und Ungleichheit. Die Auswirkungen eines asymmetrischen Finanzsystems auf den Globalen Süden während Covid-19“. (Für Facing Finance)

Jaspert, Robin (2020): „Green Fake: ESG Investments während Covid-19“. (Für Facing Finance)

Jaspert, Robin (2020): „We are the Bomb – Opake Finanzströme und unwissentliche Beteiligung an Nuklearer Rüstung“. In: Ethik und Militär 1 (2020).

Media appearances:

My work with Jan Fichtner and Johannes Petry was featured in the Financial Times and Bloomberg.

Interview in junge Welt: „Missbrauch von Staatshilfe“. Dax-Konzerne kassieren Geld von der Regierung und schütten es an Aktionäre aus. Ein Gespräch mit Robin Jaspert

Publication of report leads to motion in the Bundestag: Covered by Handelsblatt.