Fulya Apaydin's work is situated at the intersection of comparative politics and international studies with a particular emphasis on the political economy of development. Broadly, she is interested in how investment policies across emerging economies are transformed in face of global pressures, and how political actors respond to these challenges at the local and national level. Her current research examines the implications of South-South capital flows on development with a focus on Islamic Financial Institutions.

Jonas W. Schmid is research assistant of the project "Financial liberalization and authoritarian survival in the muslim world" (FLAS), coordinated by Dr. Fulya Apaydin. He holds a BA in Political Science and Humanities by the Technical University of Dresden. He holds a MA Research in Political Sciences and Politics and Public Administration, in a double Master degree jointly taught by the UPF and the University of Konstanz.