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Dr Roberto Roccu, Programme Director for the Global Political Economy MA

Dr Roberto Roccu

Programme Director, Global Political Economy MA

A reader in international political economy, Roberto joined King’s College London in 2012. He’s published extensively on the political economy of countries on both shores of the Mediterranean. He’s contributed articles to the international press, including The Guardian, OpenDemocracy, and Il Post (in Italian). He’s also given interviews on major television networks like the BBC and Al Araby.

Roberto has significant teaching experience in International Political Economy (IPE). He’s interested in the relations between international financial institutions and developing countries and the international political economy of the developing world, particularly of the Middle East.

Roberto has published extensively on the political economy of EU-promoted reforms in the Middle East, especially but not exclusively with reference to Egypt. Roberto is currently working on his next book project, which examines how the way capitalist economies have been configured, particularly with respect to cronyism and dependent (under)development, affects the prospects for social and political transformation in countries such as Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.

Research interests


International Political Economy

Focusing primarily on the Middle East and North Africa, Roberto’s work looks at this region as an integral part of the global political economy and its transformations in recent times.


Globalisation and the Middle East

Exploring the extent to which globalisation, financialisation, and global production networks affect the economic, political and social prospects of different countries in the region.


Global Political Economy of Development

Exploring how the rise of the hydrocarbon-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UEA affects the developmental prospects of resource-scarce countries in the region and throughout the Global South.

Career highlights and qualifications

  • Roberto obtained a BA in Political Science at the University of Sassari in Italy and an MSc in International Relations at The Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, also in Italy, both with the highest honours (summa cum laude). 
  • He completed his PhD in International Relations with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2012. His doctoral research focused on the political economy of IMF-mandated economic reforms in Egypt, and how it created some of the socioeconomic preconditions for the 2011 uprisings.  
  • Roberto regularly publishes articles in leading journals, including Journal of Common Market Studies, Globalizations, Third World Quarterly, International Relations, and Mediterranean Politics. He also regularly reviews articles and book manuscripts for major scholarly journals and leading publishers. 
  • His book, The Political Economy of the Egyptian Revolution (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), explores the socio-economic context of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. 
  • Roberto is convenor of both the International Political Economy Group (IPEG) of the British International Studies Association and Political Economy Beyond Boundaries, one of the standing sections of the European International Studies Association. He is also an Associate Editor at Global Political Economy, a new and fast-growing academic journal in IPE. 

Consider political, economic, and social forces in a global context

Explore the Global Political Economy MA