Geo-economic analysis: a response to the research gap in international economic theory?

The purpose of this article is to conceptualise geo-economic analysis as a tool that can respond to the process of outdating of international economic theory over the 21st century. This is due to the fact that, in the face of increasing geopolitical tensions in the international arena, the existing paradigm of the functioning of the world economy is changing, along with attempts by states to regain their agency in shaping the globalisation process. However, the legacy of international economic theory is characterised by a strong inertia, and the popularisation of empirical research at the expense of theoretical studies taking place over the course of the 21st century contributes to the relative backwardness of existing theoretical currents. In view of the dispute over the place of geoeconomics in the scientific discourse, it was decided to narrow it down to the level of geo-economic analysis, whose task is to develop a strategy to enable states to achieve goals closely related to economic issues in the international arena. Such approach has the potential to narrow the aforementioned gap in international economic theory, and may contribute to its further development in an inductive manner.