Department of Economics

The University of Bonn’s Department of Economics is one of the strongest research departments in the field of economics in Europe. Through research and teaching, we aim to contribute to addressing major societal challenges and to provide impulses for effective and evidence-based economic policy. Our focus is on the education of young economists from the bachelor’s to the doctoral level.

Studying

Department

Research

Jobs

News

How people assess potential returns in the stock market

A new study by the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute, involving BGSE PhD candidate Philipp Schirmer, shows why people often draw different conclusions from company news than financial economics would suggest — and how much this has to do with the way they think markets work. Published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Bjoern Höppner selected for the 2026 REStud North America Tour

We are delighted to announce that BGSE doctoral candidate Bjoern Höppner has been selected to participate in the 2026 REStud North America Tour.

fffClimate resilience and social justice in the Ahr Valley

The SOZIAHR research project at the University of Bonn is now launching a large-scale population survey to find out how people have fared in the five years since the Ahr Valley flood. Around 70,000 people are being invited to take part. Those who were registered in the municipalities of Adenau, Altenahr, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Sinzig, and Grafschaft on the reference date of the flood, and who still live there today or have moved at most once since then. The survey begins in early August and runs until the end of September. The results are planned to be published in April 2027.

What do floods really cost in the long run? New Podcast Episode

What invisible costs do flood disasters cause in the long term? How do the jobs and places of residence of those affected change? And do floods actually lead to more climate action?

News

Events

Wednesday Sep 09, 2026

Podiumsdiskussion „Soziale Lösungsansätze für das Ahrtal“

Joseph-Rovan-Allee 2, ...

06:30 PM

The research project "SOZIAHR" at the University of Bonn and the "Wissenschaft für den Wiederaufbau" (Science for Reconstruction) competence network at Koblenz ...

Monday Sep 28, 2026 until Oct 09, 2026

Mathematics preliminary course

Juridicum

10:00 AM

Prepare for the start of your studies: The Mathematics preliminary course reviews key mathematical concepts from school that are particularly important for the ...

Tuesday Oct 06, 2026

Ambitions & challenges in data science & research data management

Wissenschaftszentrum Bonn

09:00 AM - 06:00 PM

A workshop on ambitions and challenges in data science and research data management will take place on October 6, 2026 (9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) at the ...

Tuesday Oct 06, 2026

Economics (dual subject): Information on starting your studies

Juridium

05:00 PM - 06:30 PM

The Department of Economics cordially invites all prospective students of economics (dual subject). Learn everything you need to know about starting your ...

Events

Overview of recent publications

"Different no more: Country spreads in advanced and emerging economies"

The article “Different no more: Country spreads in advanced and emerging economies” by Benjamin Born, Gernot J. Müller, Johannes Pfeifer and Susanne Wellmann was published in the Journal Journal of International Economics.

“Mental Models of the Stock Market”

The article “Mental Models of the Stock Market” by Peter Andre, Philipp Schirmer, and Johannes Wohlfart was published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics.

“Family Institutions and the Global Fertility Transition”

The article “Family Institutions and the Global Fertility Transition” by Paula E. Gobbi, Anne Hannusch and Pauline Rossi was published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives.

“Individual strategy choice in the repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma”

The article “Individual strategy choice in the repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma” by Teresa Backhaus and Yves Breitmoser was published in the European Economic Review.

Further recent publications

Studying

The Department of Economics offers the degree programs BSc "Economics", BA "Economics" (2-subject or accompanying subject) and MSc "Economics".

Study Programs

PhD

Are you aiming for a doctorate? The Bonn Graduate School of Economics offers an English-language Doctoral Program (PhD) with an integrated Master in Economic Research for students from all over the world.

PhD Program

Institutions

Excellence Cluster

The ECONtribute Excellence Cluster in Economic Sciences conducts research on markets in the area of intersection between business, politics and society.

ECONtribute

Collaborative Research Center

The SFB TR 224 deals with equal opportunities, market regulation and financial market stability as societal challenges.

CRC TR 224

Institutes

The department is organized in a departmental structure encompassing scientific and teaching areas and is divided into five institutes for teaching and research.

Institutes