Jan Steckel: professorship in Political Economy at TU Munich

The research goal of the newly created full (W3) professorship is to shed light on the political and economic interests that shape climate policy. For example, who loses and who gains when a country switches from coal or oil to sustainable energies, and how do the losers try to influence policy? How can countries cushion the social impact of the transition? Which political measures remain robust, even in times of increasing political polarisation? And how are populism and climate policy interrelated?

Jan Steckel studied industrial engineering with a focus on energy and environmental management in Flensburg, Rennes and Ottawa, and received a PhD in economics in Berlin. He has led research projects at TU Berlin, at PIK and at the Berlin-based climate research institute MCC, and has contributed in a leading role to reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Steckel previously held a professorship in Climate and Development Economics at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus – also a partnership with PIK – and will continue to conduct research on developing and emerging economies at PIK.