Journal of Applied Economics

The Geo-economics & Geopolitics of Rare Earth Minerals

Since the establishment of the New International Economic Order (NIEO), adopted at the United Nations General Assembly on May 1 1974, the global competition for natural resources and the need for balanced, responsible, and sustainable sourcing, exploitation, and use of raw materials has been a critical element of debate at the international level. The demands associated with the twin transition  - the digital and green transformation to achieve sustainable growth contribute to redefining the geo-economic and geopolitical landscape, impacting countries’ economic development and progress and the shifting balance of power.

We are facing significant challenges due to the amplifying nature of global inequalities fueled by the need to secure access to natural resources, signalling the importance of a balanced approach to international trade and the failure of the NIEO proposals due to the significant complexity of the proposed reforms. This topic is important due to the strategic importance of natural resources and more specifically critical minerals such as rare earth elements or minerals to enable the twin transition.

Relevant sub-research topics to be considered are as follows:

1. Econometric analysis of raw materials and of rare earth minerals trade flows.
2. Impact of critical minerals on economic development.
3. Global Inequality and Mineral Resource Access.
4. Geoeconomic Shifts in the Twin Transition
5. Effectiveness of NIEO-Inspired Trade Policies
6. Critical Minerals and Market Volatility Modelling
7. Green Industrial Policies and Mineral Dependency
8. Geofinance of Critical Minerals
9. Global Power Shifts and Resource Rent Economics
10. Econometric Forecasting of Mineral Demand under Twin Transition Scenarios

Dr Bernadette Andreosso specialises in economic integration, economic growth and shocks, structural change and governance. She is currently co-leading a Routledge Book Series entitled “Frontiers of Geopolitics, Geo-economics and Sustainability”. Her 300+ publications are in the areas of the responses to shocks, international trade, scarce resources and growth, and governance.

Prof. Dr. Joan Torrent Sellens Full professor of Economics at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya's (UOC) Faculty of Economics and Business. Holder of a doctoral degree in Economics (UOC doctoral programme in the Information and Knowledge Society). Holder of a degree in Economics and Business Studies, and a master's degree in Applied Economics from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). His research activity is related with the analysis of the digital transformation's business, economic, labour, well-being and health dimensions. His main research interests include productivity, competitiveness and sustainability; entrepreneurship and innovation; work, training and employability, and well-being at work and e-health.

Associate Prof. Dr. Daniel Rajmil is an associate professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). He holds a BA in Political Sciences from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and a degree in Market Research and Business from Universitat de Barcelona (UB). Holder of a PhD from the University of Vienna, he specialises in political economy, conflict studies, geopolitics, and geoeconomics, with a solid record of academic publications. Currently, he is the Principal Investigator (PI)  of the UOC research group GEOCONDAH (Geopolitics, Conflict and Human Rights research group).

Dr Lucía Morales specialises in econometrics, time‑series analysis, data science, and education. With over 100 peer-reviewed publications and presentations at more than 250 international conferences, she bridges rigorous economic and financial research, especially on crises, market integration, energy economics and emerging markets with innovative pedagogical practice.