Brandon Sommer

Dr. Brandon Sommer serves as a Lecturer at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Economics and Business, Erasmus University Rotterdam.

His research focuses on classic debates in international political economy, with particular emphasis on structure and agency, ontology, crisis, and sociopolitical transformation. A distinctive feature of his scholarly work is his methodological innovation in rethinking the qualitative-quantitative divide through an ontological lens. He argues that robust analysis of complex socioeconomic phenomena requires transcending traditional methodological boundaries. His research employs a diverse methodological toolkit including historical and time-based approaches, qualitative interviews, text analyses, and statistical methods.

Dr. Sommer's scholarly output demonstrates expertise in Chinese political economy, with particular focus on the Communist Party's role in crisis management and institutional transformation. His work engages with theoretical frameworks including the French Regulation School, International Political Economy, Immanent Causality, and the Morphogenetic Approach. His publications span multiple formats including journal articles, book chapters, and his doctoral dissertation completed at the International Institute of Social Studies.

His research trajectory shows consistent engagement with China's socio-economic transformation from the 1960s to the present day, examining the complex interplay between structural forces and agential responses. Recent publications indicate expanding theoretical sophistication with his 2024 work bridging French and Morphogenetic approaches, while maintaining empirical focus on Chinese political economy as evidenced by his 2025 article on military modernization.