Projects per year
Personal profile
Overview
I am a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Hertfordshire. I joined UH in September 2022 after previous appointments at Kingston University and as a fixed-term lecturer at the University of East London (UEL). I trained as Development Economist at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) where I obtained an MSc and later a PhD in Economics. Prior to that, I studied Economics and Political Sciences at the University of Münster (Germany) and Sciences Po Lille (France).
Research interests
My research investigates the drivers of uneven development across multiple geographical scales and explores how industrial policy can be harnessed to counteract these disparities. I am particularly interested in the structural and institutional dynamics that reproduce spatial inequalities and the policy mechanisms capable of fostering more inclusive and territorially balanced development.
At the global scale, my work has focused on demand-led industrialisation in the Global South. Drawing on empirical research in Nigeria, my research investigated the extent to which growing markets provide incentives for firms to develop productive capabilities rapidly, particularly when early movers can capture initially high profit margins.
At the regional scale, my research examines development traps in peripheralised regions, using East Germany as a case study. I analyse persistent core–periphery dependencies within Germany and link them to the dismantling of regional anchor firms during the post-reunification privatisation process. My research investigates the extent to which entrenched structural hierarchies can be addressed by strategically restoring anchor functions within local production ecosystems through place-based industrial policies.
At the local scale, I investigate the socio-spatial dimensions of the green transition. My current work maps the drivers of perceived injustice in domestic energy transitions and analyses how these perceptions intersect with broader patterns of spatial inequality. This research contributes to debates on green discontent and the design of just transitions.
Theoretically, my work synthesises insights from post-Keynesian macroeconomics, post-Marxist industrial geography, and structuralist, evolutionary, and institutionalist economic thought.
Key words: Uneven development; industrial policy; demand-led structural transformation; regional inequality; anchor firms; green discontent; East Germany; Nigeria.
Teaching specialisms
Marcoeconomics, Development Economics, Industrial Organisation, Contemporary Issues
Education/Academic qualification
Economics , PhD, Industrialisation in times of China: A demand-side perspective on China’s influence on industrialisation processes in sub-Saharan African countries at the example of Angola between 2000 and 2014
Award Date: 15 Mar 2018
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 4 Active
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The role of anchor firms in making and overcoming spatially uneven development: lessons from East Germany
Wolf, C. (PI)
8/01/24 → …
Project: Research
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Unpacking Green Discontent: Precarious Homeowners and Progressive Renters in the German Domestic Energy Transition
Wolf, C. (PI) & Peeroo, A. (CoI)
3/02/25 → …
Project: Research
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Demand-led structural transformation and the role of industrial conglomerates in Nigeria's industrial ecosystem
Wolf, C. (PI)
7/01/19 → …
Project: Research
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Financing Local Net Zero - A Policy Paper
Dagdeviren, H., Wolf, C. & Hand, K., 23 Apr 2025Research output: Other contribution
Open Access -
Demand-growth in support of structural change: evidence from Nigeria's formal manufacturing sector
Wolf, C., 31 Dec 2023, In: Structural Change and Economic Dynamics. 67, p. 347-358 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile50 Downloads (Pure) -
Decolonising economics and politics curricula in UK universities
Choat, S., Wolf, C. & O'Neill, S., 16 Oct 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Studies in Higher Education. p. 1-15 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile43 Downloads (Pure) -
Construction as a Springboard for Industrialisation: Chinese Overseas Construction Projects and Structural Transformation in Angola, Ethiopia and Nigeria
Wolf, C., 5 Sept 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: European Journal of Development Research. 29 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Downloads (Pure) -
Peripheral financialisation and monopoly capitalism in Nigeria: the case of the Dangote Business Group
Itaman, R. & Wolf, C., 14 Sept 2022, In: Cambridge Journal of Economics. 28 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile14 Downloads (Pure)