Katja Kalkschmied

Katja Kalkschmied is a Research Fellow at the Department of International Economics within the Vienna School of International Studies (Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria). Previously, she held a postdoctoral position at Ruhr University Bochum (Germany). Her research focuses on institutional economics, development economics, and international political economy, with a particular emphasis on China's role in global development financing and the Global South. She leads the Development Finance in the Face of Climate Change project funded by the Austrian National Bank’s Anniversary Fund (2025–2028).

Education: PhD in Economics & Social Sciences (2020, University of Graz), Master’s in Global Studies (University of Graz), Bachelor’s in International Marketing & Sales Management (University of Applied Sciences, Campus 02).

Research interests include institutional complementarities, the co-evolution of institutions and economic outcomes, and the strategic role of powerful actors in institutional formation. Her work bridges economics and political science, with publications in both fields. She is a member of interdisciplinary research networks such as the Human Factor in Digital Transformation (University of Graz) and the Governance in Emerging Economies Research Group (Groningen & Göttingen).

Teaching includes advanced courses on quantitative empirical analysis at Vienna School of International Studies and modules on international finance and economic growth at Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Graz.

She organizes annual studying-hiking trips in mountain regions to foster collaborative research discussions among academics from diverse institutions.