Jonas Nahm

Andrew W. Mellon Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins SAIS · Former Senior Economist, White House Council of Economic Advisers · Author, Collaborative Advantage

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Jonas Nahm spent 2023 and 2024 inside the White House shaping U.S. industrial strategy. Now he shows leaders how to scenario plan for tariffs, supply chain shocks and the end of globalization as they knew it.

Geopolitics & Global Affairs Energy Transition Trade Policy Geopolitics

Washington, United States

Videos

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China – US Investment: A Security Threat or an Opening to Reform the World’s Most Important Economic Relationship?

August 2026

Bio

About Jonas Nahm

Jonas Nahm, Ph.D. is a political economist who explains what comes after globalization. He brings something rare: academic depth plus firsthand knowledge of how the U.S. government operates behind the scenes.

"The political and economic moment we're in, where we're basically moving past globalization, is really disorienting to people," Nahm says. He helps executives, particularly those running complex global supply chains, understand how political forces and market logic now determine the worldwide flow of goods, capital and technology. His frameworks for scenario planning cover the weaponization of trade, the reshaping of the semiconductor industry and the impact of U.S.-China tensions on everything from finance to manufacturing.

Topics

Jonas's Keynote Topics

In the last few years, there’s been much talk among corporate leaders about strategies for implementing AI. However, not much attention has been given to the bigger picture of how economic and political policies around the world can profoundly affect everything from AI development to the technology’s impact on sustainability. According to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies professor and political economist Jonas Nahm, Ph.D., trade policies such as export controls and tariffs are reshaping the global semiconductor and microchip industries. In this revealing presentation, Nahm uncovers how emerging technologies, their development, deployment and environmental impact are tightly intertwined with the geopolitical maneuverings of countries like the U.S. and China. Audiences will leave with a more focused lens into the true power of AI’s influence on politics, economics and global sustainability efforts – well beyond boardroom debates and marketing buzzwords.

As the climate crisis grows more urgent, globalization has fostered collaboration between countries. But, as tensions grow between superpowers, how will sustainability initiatives be impacted? According to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies professor and political economist Jonas Nahm, Ph.D., while global collaboration has led to the cost of green technologies rapidly decreasing, rising geopolitical tensions, especially between the U.S. and China, are threatening to derail clean energy progress. In this timely presentation, Nahm draws on his award-winning book “Collaborative Advantage: Forging Green Industries in the New Global Economy,” to take a deeper look at how economic policies – from climate change initiatives and manufacturing priorities to tariffs and supply chains – can either supercharge or stymie green energy advancement around the world. Audiences will learn how sustainability and economic policy are intimately entwined, leaving with a working knowledge of the true value of globalization and cooperation in fighting climate change.

The international trade landscape continues to be unsettled as tariffs come and go seemingly by the day. How can business leaders, especially those in manufacturing, in the U.S., Europe and beyond, reassure stakeholders in today’s uncertain global marketplace? According to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies professor and political economist Jonas Nahm, Ph.D., to understand the current state of worldwide trade, it’s important to look back on the conditions that got us here in the first place. In this exceptionally relevant presentation, Nahm frames our current moment in a broader context, addressing questions such as “how did we get to this moment where trade deficits are seen as such a problem?” “What is the dissatisfaction with the makeup of the global economy when it has worked successfully for so long?” and more. Audiences will leave with immediately applicable tactics for making sense of the current state of the global marketplace. Leaders will be newly equipped with frameworks for responding strategically to the evolving trade landscape in the next six weeks, six months and six years.

With today’s unprecedented globalization, world economies are more reactive to disruption than ever, especially to the policy whims of the U.S. and China. As the U.S. pulls back from global trade with tariffs and export controls, countries are increasingly turning to China as their main trade partner. In this eye-opening presentation, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies professor and former White House Council of Economic Advisors senior economist Jonas Nahm, Ph.D., recounts how China’s entry into the global marketplace has streamlined supply chains and lowered costs, while clarifying how firms should understand the Chinese government’s intervention into its economy. Nahm draws on his experience both living in China and serving as a top White House economic advisor to help leaders, especially those in Europe, understand the trade relationship between the U.S. and China, the American government’s policy goals, and why this moment in the global economy is so disorienting. Attendees will leave with clear strategies for scenario planning in response to a variety of trajectories that worldwide commerce may take in the years to come.

Research & Writing