PhD Project on Firms' Influence on International Maritime Institutions

Christian Hendriksen completed his Master’s of Science degree in International Business and Politics from Copenhagen Business School (CBS) with a thesis concerning the power of firms in international maritime regulation. His PhD project takes direct departure in this work by seeking to explain how firms can influence international maritime institutions.

Although still early in the process, the main questions of the project have already been outlined. In the first part of the PhD project Christian will explore, which political activities firms carry out in the context of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and whether there are patterns in terms of which types of firms conduct these activities. This phase will feed into the larger explanatory phase, in which the project intends to understand exactly how these activities affect the international regulation of shipping. The project is concerned not only with shipowners, but also engine- and equipment suppliers and maritime firms understood broadly. This means that the project will be able to contribute with insights that are relevant for the maritime industry as a whole, but it will require a substantial amount of data from many different organizations and countries.

The project is closely linked with maritime economics because of the effect that regulation has on firms. Changes in institutions translate into changes in the cost or revenue structures of individual firms because of new or amended environmental requirements. This idea links Christian’s work to the implications for the maritime executive and to other projects in CBS Maritime. Christian’s project can contribute with regulatory understanding and perspectives to the rest of CBS Maritime, but also draw on the expertise in economics that many researchers in CBS Maritime have.

The principle contributions of his project are twofold. First, Christian’s research will provide valuable insight into the political conduct of firms in international regulatory settings, which is currently not well understood. Second, maritime firms who wish to understand the mechanics of political influence may find the project extremely relevant as a source of political competitiveness.