Dennis Wesselbaum

About me

Welcome to my personal homepage! I am a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the University of Otago.

I am a macroeconomist with both theoretical and empirical interests. My research activity is split between macroeconomic topics and the impacts of climate change. Precisely, my research interests are Macroeconomics (esp. Monetary and Fiscal Policy), Quantitative Economics, Economic Growth, Migration, and, more generally, the interaction between climate, environment, and society.

For my full CV click here!

Biography

I earned a Diploma in (Theoretical) Economics from the University in Kiel and received my Doctorate (Doctor rerum politicarum) from the University of Hamburg. In between, I worked as a researcher for the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. I'm currently a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Otago.

My earlier work focused on labor market dynamics and monetary policy. Currently, my first research focus is on monetary and fiscal policy. Examples for this line of research are projects on inflation expectations, central bank communication, and heterogeneous agent models. My second research focus is on the interaction between climate and society. Here, I study the link between climate variables and migration or the link between weather, pollution, and crime.

In pursuing my research, I have used the set of tools and methodologies known as quantitative macroeconomics, i.e. calibrated and estimated dynamic stochastic equilibrium models, continuous time models, and univariate or multivariate econometric methods (e.g. Panel estimations, vector autoregression, or Markov-switching models). My work connects mathematical methods with data in order to test or quantify theoretical mechanisms, compare models, and address policy questions.

For current research projects and published papers please visit the "Research" section.

For my RePEc profile click here and for my Google Scholar page please click here.

New Zealand Association of Economists

I am the Vice President of the New Zealand Association of Economists (NZAE) and the Editor-in-Chief of the New Zealand Economic Papers (NZEP).

NZEP publishes research of the highest quality from leading international scholars in all areas of economics with a focus on New Zealand, the Pacific, Australia, and Asia.

Otago Foreign Policy School (FPS)

I was Director of the 2019 FPS and the Co-Director of the 2021 FPS and serve on the Committee of the Foreign Policy School and the National Security School.

Since its inception in 1966, the University of Otago Foreign Policy School has developed into one of the premier events in New Zealand’s international calendar. Originally started as a workshop on foreign affairs issues, the School soon attracted the attention of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which recognized its value as a weekend retreat for officials. Representatives from other government bodies, as well as academics, journalists, diplomats, members of the private sector and NGOs, and interested members of the public also participate regularly.

For more information, please see here.

For Students

Postgraduate supervision: I welcome inquiries from suitably qualified and motivated candidates. If you are interested in working on a topic related to my research or if you have an interesting research idea, please feel free to contact me.

For ECON 411, 376, and 202 students: You find the course material on Blackboard.