Maximilian Rech

Ph.D. Title: Geo-Economic Policy – Formulating a Resource Strategy for the 21st Century

Maximilian’s PhD project focuses on the resource strategies of G20 member states. In particular he focuses on these economies’ resource policies vis-à-vis rare earth elements (REE) over the past ten years. Integrating Andrew Moravcsik’ new liberal theory with Robert Putnam’s two level game and assuming utility-maximising rational actors in the international and domestic arenas, the dissertation analyses how resource strategies are formulated and how they can be improved. China is the world’s principal producer of rare earth elements. Therefore, China’s changing resource policy has had tremendous effect on other actors and opened a window of opportunity to transform the resource strategy of the European Union and it’s G20 member states.

Maximilian has been a PhD candidate at the German Chinese Graduate School of Global Politics since October 2012. His dissertation is supervised by Prof. Dr. Miranda Schreurs, Director of the Environmental Policy Research Center at Free University Berlin, and Prof. Dr. Jin Canrong, Vice Dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, Beijing.

Maximilian is also the Programme Director and Assistant Professor of ESSCA School of Management, Shanghai. Maximilian previously worked as Project Manager for the Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe where he implemented the Understanding China programme from 2009 to 2012 and as Programme Fellow for the European antennae of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from 2008 to 2009.

Maximilian holds an M.A. degree in European Studies with a specialisation in external relations of the European Union from Maastricht University, The Netherlands and a B.A. degree in European Studies from Maastricht University, The Netherlands and Institut d’Études Politiques de Grenoble, France.