Research associate

Address

IG Farben Building IG.1311
Campus Westend
Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1
60323 Frankfurt     

Contact

jaspert@soz.uni-frankfurt.de

Since April 2023 I am a PhD candidate in the DFG Research Training Group “Standards of Governance”, that takes place as cooperation between Goethe-University Frankfurt and the TU Darmstadt. 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. I started with teaching assistance and literature research and from April 2021 onwards switched 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. I currently lecture at the John F. Kennedy Institute at FU Berlin and the Global Political Economy and Development Programme at the University of Kassel.

Research interests

  • critical political economy
  • South–North relations, monetary and fiscal policy, and the historical basis of political and economic power relations within the context of global capitalism
  • ‘sustainable’ financial products

Teaching

Winter Term
2025/2026		University of Kassel: “The Political Economy of Development Finance” M.A. seminar.
Summer Term
2025		Free University of Berlin: “Colonialism, Hereditary Racial Slavery, Patriarchal Economic Organization: The Roots of Transatlantic Capitalism?” M.A. seminar.
Winter Term 2023/2024Free University of Berlin: “Colonialism, Hereditary Racial Slavery, Patriarchal Economic Organization: The Roots of Transatlatic Capitalism?” M.A. seminar.
Winter Term 2021/2022Ludwig-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.

Publications

In addition to my academic work, I am active as a freelance journalist and writer. I regularly contribute to Jacobin and nd, and have also written for Makronom, Surplus, Der Freitag, Migazin and Analyse & Kritik, among others. My work covers topics beyond political economy. You can find these works in their eintirety on my Torial profile. Below is a list of my academic publications and a selection of my other writing.

Work in Progress

 Jaspert, Robin: „Compulsion to Restrain: Unravelling the longue durée of subordinate production, finance and debt systems on global South expenditure levels “. Peer Reviewed Journal Article. 

Jaspert, Robin; Koddenbrock, Kai: „The Price to Pay: The Imperialism of Monetary Policy and the Transmission of Fed and ECB Interest Rate Policies to West- and central Africa “. Peer Reviewed Journal Article.

Jaspert, Robin; Zayim, Ayca: „How Independent are Central Banks from Financial Markets? A Quantitative Approach “. Peer Reviewed Journal Article.  

Petry, Johannes; Jaspert, Robin: „Global Ownership Configurations: Varieties and Patterns of Corporate Ownership across the World’s Largest Equity Markets “. Handbook Chapter.

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles:

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.

Books

Graack, Nico; Jaspert, Robin; Wörner, Lara (2025) Wer schuldet wem etwas? Bullshit-Diskurse, Deutschland und die Schuldenstreichung des Globalen Südens. Neu-Isenburg: Westend Verlag.

Working Paper:

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

Handbook Chapters:

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 Reviews:

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 et cetera (Selection):

Jaspert, Robin (2025): „Nicht unsere Deglobalisierung“ Jacobin DE.

Jaspert, Robin (2025): „Globaler Süden: Warum es keine automatische Entschuldung gibt“ Surplus.

Jaspert, Robin (2025): “Die verschobene Inflation“ Surplus.

Roumer, Aïda, Jaspert, Robin (2025): “Zukunft immer ungewisser“ nd die Woche.

Jaspert, Robin (2024): “Beten für den Schuldenschnitt“. Jacobin.

Jaspert, Robin; Kullick, Niklas (2024): “Geldpolitik in ungleichen Zeiten“. Makronom.

Jaspert, Robin (2024): “Kolonialismus, US-Hegemonie und Krisen sind keine gute Weltordnung“. Makronom.

Jaspert, Robin; Graack, Nico (2024): “Geschichte der G7: Das Imperium schlägt zurück“. nd die Woche.

Jaspert, Robin (2024): “Klimakiller IWF” nd die Woche.

Graack, Nico; Jaspert, Robin; Wörner, Lara (2024): “Antikolonial-global, sozialistisch-lokal – so wird’s was mit Degrowth”. Widerspruch 82.

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.