Meet MSM’s Faculty members: Introducing Professor Dr. Harald Sander

Research is an integral part of the mission of Maastricht School of Management. We provide scientific knowledge to allow managers and entrepreneurs to make evidence-based decisions. To achieve our mission we encourage and support the research of our faculty members on a broad range of areas. MSM’s faculty members are passionate about what they do and tenacious in finding solutions to the roughest business challenges. Each month MSM will highlight one of its faculty members and this month the spotlight is on Professor Dr. Harald Sander.

Let me introduce myself…
My name is Harald Sander Professor of Economics at MSM and a Professor Economics and International Economics at Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Germany). I hold a doctorate in Economics from Ruhr-University Bochum and a Diplom-Volkswirt degree (equivalent to Master of Economics) from the University of Essen (Germany).

I have worked and published extensively on international economic integration, international trade policy, European banking market integration, and globalization of banking. I am author and editor of several books, including a volume on “World Trade after the Uruguay Round” published by Routledge, and a report on “European Retail Banking Market Integration” for the Centre of European Policy Studies, a major European think tank. Furthermore I have published in leading international journals like the Journal of International Money and Finance, the Journal of Banking and Finance, Applied Economics, and the Journal of Financial Stability.

Next to this I have been a visiting research fellow to the International Monetary Fund, the Centre for Contemporary Europe Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, and the Global Business Institute at New York University. My research project on the “Geography of Global Banking” with Stefanie Kleimeier (Maastricht University) has been co-funded by the German “Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft” and the Dutch “NWO”. Currently I am holding a Jean Monnet Chair of the European Union on “Europe in the Global Economy”.

Why I believe economic analysis can be an important and positive contribution in life…
Economics is often referred to as the “dismal science”. But I believe that serious economic analysis undertaken with a passion for human development can make an important and positive contribution. And I want to bring this expertise and view into the heads and hearts of MSM students and staff – helping us all a bit to contribute with our professional work to the improvements of people’s life.

The aspect of my work at MSM that excites and inspires me the most is…
Working at MSM allows me to interact with students and colleagues from all over the world and in many places of world. This is really a highly inspiring interaction. What else can you want as a professor than being inspired and – hopefully – inspiring others a bit, too.

The research I am currently working on…
There are two different types of research work I am focused on. The first one is empirical work on financial integration, in particular banking. This is really hard-core academic number crunching. The second one is more policy-oriented: What have we learned from opening-up and deregulating financial markets and must we re-think our views on financial globalization after the financial crisis and the Euro crisis?

The Scientific network that I am active in is..
I am a member of the American Economic Association and several more specialized research groups like ROME (Research on Money in the Economy). But most of the really effective networking is within smaller research groups with co-authors working on my research topics.

Where will I be speaking in the near future…
I will be a keynote speaker of the International Conference on Banking and Finance, organized by the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw on July 10–11, 2017. My talk will address the retrenchment of global finance after the financial crisis and the subsequent policy implications.

My most recent publications are.

Blogging:

In my spare time you can often find me….
Reading books, blogs and newspapers articles especially on global economic issues that feeds back directly into teaching and research. As a scientist you are never really “out of office”. But I also like endurance sports a lot. How it feeds back? For one thing, one still continues thinking when running, swimming or biking, and then, of course, it helps you staying fit for those long teaching days at MSM ;-).