Program Overview

Overview of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration ## Faculty of Economics and Business Administration The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration is located at Grimmaische Straße 12, 04109 Leipzig.

Dean and Staff

• Dean: Prof. Dr. Rainer Alt
• Dean's Advisor: Dr. Martina Diesener
• Secretary: Cathérine Krobitzsch

Institutes and Facilities

The faculty comprises several institutes, including:

• Institute for Empirical Economic Research
• Institute for Trade and Banking
• Institute for Infrastructure and Resource Management
• Institute for Public Finance and Public Management
• Institute for Service and Relationship Management
• Institute for Urban Development and Construction Economics
• Institute for Theoretical Economics
• Institute for Business Accounting, Financing, and Taxation
• Institute for Insurance Studies
• Institute for Business Informatics
• Institute for Business Education
• Institute for Economic Policy

Seminar International Trade

The seminar on International Trade takes place during the winter semester.

Instructor and Dates

• Instructor: Tom Bugdalle
• Introductory Session: 11:15 a.m., October 17, 2025
• Room: Seminar Room 3 - I123

Grading and Topics

• Grading: Term paper (guidelines provided)
• Topic Allocation: During the introductory session
• Deadline for First Drafts: December 15, 2025, via email
• Deadline for Final Drafts: January 31, 2026, via email

Seminar Content

The seminar is part of the International Economics module, which also includes courses in International Trade and International Finance. Two-thirds of the module grade will be based on a written exam covering the two courses, while the remaining one-third will be based on a term paper written for the seminar.

Requirements and Evaluation

Students are required to attend the entire seminar, present their papers, and actively participate in discussions.

Seminar Topics

The seminar explores challenges to international trade, including policies, firms, and technologies in a shifting global economy. Topics include:

1. Political Implications of Trade: The impact of globalization on local winners and losers, voting behavior, and party coalitions.
2. Policy Uncertainty and the Dynamics of International Trade: How policy uncertainty affects trade and long-term competitiveness.
3. Industrial Policy and Trade: The role of industrial subsidies in trade and their impact on efficiency and innovation.
4. Subsidy Spillovers and Retaliation: The effects of subsidies on trade and the conditions under which they provoke retaliatory responses.
5. Standards as Protection: The use of consumer and environmental standards as tools for protectionism.
6. NTBs and Firm Heterogeneity: The impact of non-tariff barriers on small exporters and multinational firms.
7. Technological Progress and Trade Flows: The effect of disruptive innovations, including artificial intelligence, on trade flows.
8. AI, Trade, and Power: The impact of artificial intelligence on international trade policy and the digital trade agenda.
9. Firm-level Linkages and Business Cycle Synchronization: The role of firm-level international linkages in explaining business cycle comovement.
10. The Microstructure of Trade: The influence of firm-to-firm networks on the structure and dynamics of international trade flows.

Seminar Dates

• January 5, 2026: Seminar Room S205 S 2.103, 09:15 - 18:45
• January 8, 2026: PC-Pool 4 - IZ07 IZ0.12, 09:15 - 18:45
• January 9, 2026: PC-Pool 3 - IZ07 IZ0.13, 09:15 - 18:45