Theses

Registration:

The Institute for Macroeconomics continuously offers topics for theses, and students may propose their own topics independently. There is no restriction on the number of participants. For master's theses, we expect students to propose their own topics, which must include an empirical component.

Theses are supervised by Prof. Gassebner and the research staff. Please refer to the list below to determine which staff member best matches your desired field of study. Then contact the appropriate person, but be sure to only contact ONE potential supervisor at our chair. Together, you will discuss the research and refine the topic. Finally, in consultation with the staff member, the specific title of the thesis will be determined, and the thesis will be formally registered. From that point onward, the regulations and deadlines outlined in the study guidelines will apply. Here you can find the contact details of our team.

Prof. Martin Gassebner: Political Economy, International Economics, Economics of Terrorism, Development Economics, Peace and Conflict Studies

Pietro Bomprezzi: Foreign aid, Global Governance, International Finance, Sovereign Debt, Development Economics

Bente Jessen-Thiesen: Development Economics, Globalization and Labor Markets, South Asia

Tobias Korn: Economic Geography, Development Economics, Peace and Conflict Studies, Economic History, Political Economy

Joao Oliveira: International Trade, International Political Economy, Globalization and Multinational Corporations, Monetary and Fiscal Policy

Stefanie Pizzella: International Trade, Political Economy, European Union

Thomas Schiller: China, Environmental Economics, Political Economy, Development Economics

Prerequisites/Recommendations:

The Master’s thesis is empirical; therefore, econometric knowledge (regression analysis, statistical software such as Stata/R/Python) is required. We recommend attending the block course “Introduction to Applied Econometrics”.
During the winter semester, we offer support for empirical analysis, which can be requested by students at any time during their thesis work. Please attend the course “Introduction to Academic Writing at the Institute of Macroeconomics” and get in touch with the respective lecturer.

Details and guidance on writing an academic thesis can be found here.