- Lecture
Entangled Oligarchies: The Hidden Deals Reshaping US-China Power Relations in Offshore Financial Centers
Guest speaker Kimberly Kay Hoang, Professor of Sociology and the College at the University of Chicago, uncovers the complex dynamics of the intricate financial networks that quietly shape global power.
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Hosted by: Zilberman Center
This talk uncovers the complex dynamics of spiderweb capitalism and entangled economies — the intricate financial networks that quietly shape global power. Through sovereign wealth funds, offshore financial centers, and cross-border networks, elites use spiderweb capitalism to remake economic and political landscapes.
Focusing on the U.S., China, and Southeast Asia, the discussion will expose how sovereign wealth funds function as strategic tools of economic influence, reshaping America’s liberal democratic system and redefining the balance of global influence. Illuminating these opaque financial networks, this lecture provides a deeper understanding of global political economies and the entanglements of power, wealth, and influence across borders.
Dr. Hoang will also bring the research process itself into the discussion. Working with a growing database of 236,000 files, this project uses a locally hosted large language model (LLM) to securely parse and analyze the data while ensuring privacy and accuracy. This talk draws our attention to the ethical considerations related to data handling will be discussed, emphasizing the importance of maintaining security when investigating these complex and often clandestine financial systems, analysis that reveals how these entangled economies affect global growth, sovereignty, and the balance of power in today’s interconnected world.
About the Speaker
Kimberly Kay Hoang is Professor of Sociology and the College at the University of Chicago. Her research examines deal-making in frontier and emerging economies. Dr. Hoang is the author of two books, Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets (Princeton University Press 2022) and Dealing in Desire: Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline, and the Hidden Currencies of Global Sex Work (University of California Press 2015).
About the Series
The Park-Choi Global Lecture Series was established in 2022 with a gift from William C. Park (‘89) and Jung Choi and is dedicated to exploring topics related to global collections, communities, and cultures. The Park-Choi Global Lecture Series Fund supports the Penn Libraries’ commitment, articulated in its strategic plan Knowledge for Life, to prepare students for the world of tomorrow by broadening cultural perspectives and fostering global citizenship.