New at Leuphana: Prof. Dr. Florian Unger – Globally left behind

Trade conflicts, geopolitical tensions, fragile supply chains, and political counter-movements such as Brexit or the “America First” policy in the US show that the idea of a rules-based, multilateral global economy is coming under increasing pressure. Florian Unger's research focuses on the interaction between financial markets and international trade and the resulting inequalities. During his doctoral studies, he analyzed the effects of global financial crises on international trade: “Since then, I have been preoccupied with the question of how economic shocks arise,” he says. 

Globalization is central to this: Who benefits, who falls behind? Today, questions of distribution are coming more sharply into focus: “Yes, the pie has gotten bigger, but not everyone gets an equal slice,” explains Florian Unger. Empirical analyses show that trade gains are often distributed very unevenly—between countries, but also within societies. Large, highly productive companies often benefit particularly, while smaller companies and their employees come under competitive pressure. The researcher explains: “This inequality means loss of income, but it can also promote feelings of insecurity and fear of decline. This means that economics is always political.”

A second focus of his work is the growing market power of large companies. In many industries, a small number of companies dominate a large part of international trade. Concentration is increasing rather than decreasing. “These companies can exert their market power not only on goods markets, but also on labor and capital markets,” explains Florian Unger.

For employees, this means that those who work for a successful exporter often have better wage and income opportunities. Those who work for less competitive companies, on the other hand, run the risk of falling behind. Globalization thus acts as an amplifier of existing differences. From Florian Unger's perspective, these distribution struggles are central to understanding political upheavals. Whether it's Brexit or protectionist movements in the US, economic uncertainty and the feeling of being among the losers of globalization often play a decisive role. “The fear of loss is often enough to influence political decisions,” he explains.

Florian Unger is currently involved as a cooperation partner in a DFG project on “Factor Market Distortions, International Trade, and Macroeconomic Welfare” (until 2027). The project investigates the relationship between trade gains, corporate competition, and income distribution, with a particular focus on effects arising from differences in wage payments in labor markets and access to financial markets.  

Florian Unger is also involved as project manager in a new research group entitled “International Division of Labor: New Challenges for Employees, Companies, and Policy Makers.” Funded by the DFG starting this year, the group brings together researchers from Munich, Bayreuth, Göttingen, and Lüneburg. The aim of the four-year research project is to investigate new forms of international trade, identify the winners and losers of globalization, and derive the resulting implications for economic policy.  

For Florian Unger, the combination of economic analysis and social debate is particularly crucial: "Globalization is not good or bad per se. It creates winners – but also losers. The big challenge is to take both seriously and respond to them politically."

And why did he choose Leuphana? Florian Unger was already familiar with the University of Lüneburg through an administrative professorship: in addition to good research conditions, he is particularly impressed by the interdisciplinary study model. “The students come from very different disciplines. This leads to exciting discussions about globalization, trade, and sustainability.”

Florian Unger studied economics at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich starting in 2007, where he later earned his doctorate and conducted postdoctoral research. In 2019, he was appointed junior professor of economics with a focus on international trade at Georg August University in Göttingen. In 2023, he took over the administrative professorship for economics, specializing in empirical macroeconomics, at Leuphana University Lüneburg. Since the winter semester 25/26, he has been a professor of economics there, specializing in macroeconomics.