Pfeiffer, ChristianChristianPfeiffer2023-04-132023-04-132022-09-19https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/108265The term geoeconomics has become increasingly popular to describe and analyze international relations. Its popularity increased with scholars and practitioners alike. As a result, its interpretations are more diverse than ever. Yet, geoeconomics is still in its early stages of development. The concepts rise in popularity, its increasing number of diverse usages and applications, combined with the lack of conceptual development and the loose handling of the concept, resulted in great confusion over the concepts meaning and use. In its current state, geoeconomics is more of an obstacle than a useful analytical tool. Since concepts are too important to let go, I consciously develop a coherent and more useful theoretical concept of geoeconomics. The research question of this dissertation is: What is one to understand by geoeconomics? It is centered on the definition and development of geoeconomics and demands its application to an empirical research project. Analyticism forms the methodological backbone of this dissertation, while a congruence analysis provides the methodical support. To answer the research question, I take stock of the current state of knowledge, the existing theoretical and empirical literature, and assess whether they are valuable, persuasive, and complete. I find that geoeconomics has to be consciously reconceptualized from the ground up. I then show how this can be done, by developing a neoliberal version of geoeconomics that promises a greater explanatory potential and analytical fruitfulness. Lastly, I demonstrate the additional empirical usefulness and analytical value of my new approach, with the help of a case study: Germanys foreign policy towards Russia. I find that neoliberal geoeconomics provides a better and more comprehensive understanding of Germanys relation with Russia than neorealist geoeconomics. The case study confirms the utility of neoliberal geoeconomics. Hence, I conclude that geoeconomics can be understood in a neorealist and in a neoliberal way. While the former lacks theoretical depth, having only been conceptualized superficially, the latter is a promising challenger, allowing for the concept to develop to its full potential. Neoliberal geoeconomics is my response to geoeconomics failing to conceptually develop in the last 30 years.enAußenpolitikGeopolitikOstblockDeutschland (Bundesrepublik)NeoliberalismusNeorealismusEDIS-5241GeoeconomicsKonzeptegeopoliticsRusslandneorealismGeoökonomieDeutschlandInternationale BeziehungenRussianeoliberalismconceptscongruence analysisGermanyKongruenzanalyseinternational relationsdoctoral thesis