The SIAW Institute at the University of St.Gallen has been founded in 1943. Since this time, issues related to the international economic order and economic policies have been a traditional focus of their institute's activities. Additionally, their journal Aussenwirtschaft (The Swiss Review of International Economic Relations) has provided both academic thinkers and policymakers with valuable analyses of the world economy for more than half a century.
The research and consulting areas of their staff currently focus on the following topics:

• European Integration (particularly with regard to Swiss-EU Relations) 
• International Trade Policy (coordination of the Global Trade Alert initiative) 
• International Competitiveness of Economic Policies 
• International Trade and Economic Inequality 
• Trade, Financial Markets and their Regulation 
• Political Institutions and their Effects on Economic Policies 
• Natural Resources, Governance, and Development 
• Development Assistance

Their teaching activities aim to provide the students of the University of St.Gallen with thorough training in international economic theory and policy as well as political and public economics. They teach in Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes in both economics and international affairs. In addition to this, they engage in the training of executives as they participate in the continuing education programmes of their university. In this respect, on-going research and consulting at their institute help them quickly integrate new important developments in the world economy into their curriculum. This assures both timeliness and an appropriate balance of theoretical and practical aspects with regard to the courses they offer.