Policy Briefs and Reports

"The Situation in Gaza, Israel's Conduct, and Germany's Role"
This text is based on a talk on this subject at the webinar "Never Again", which took place on January 27, 2026. The text first gives an overview of the situation in Gaza. It then turns to reports and analyses of Israel’s conduct and the question of genocide. It shows that the debate on whether Israel has been committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza is effectively over; by now, there is a broad consensus among experts that the answer is yes. Finally, it discusses Germany’s role (complicity) in the ongoing genocide. As part of the conclusion, two additional issues are discussed. First is the increase in repression and silencing of critical voices, as well as the criminalization of protesters,  eroding fundamental rights in Germany. Second, Germany’s complicity is not only the result of government failure; genocide denial has been widespread among the media, cultural, political, and academic elite.

"Gaza, Israel, and German Foreign Policy: A View on Public Opinion" // "Gaza, Israel und Deutschlands Außenpolitik: ein Meinungsbild" (joint with Thomas Richter)
GIGA Focus Nahost, Nummer 7 | 2025

"Certification schemes may break the link between natural resources and violent conflict" (joint with Dietmar Fehr and Andreas Link)
Vox Column at VoxEU.org, 14 Nov 2025

USAID-Kahlschlag: Millionen Menschenleben bedroht (June 2, 2025)
This article, written in collaboration with Prof. Matthias Schündeln (Goethe University Frankfurt), discusses the dismantling of USAID by President Trump and its consequences. It was published in the print edition of the German newspaper F.A.Z. in the section "Der Volkswirt" ("The Economist") on June 2, 2025.

"Vaccine hesitancy may have historical roots: Evidence from Germany" (joint with Andreas Link)
Vox Column at VoxEU.org, 6 Jul 2024

Making the Most of Development Assistance (PDF) // Was kann Entwicklungszusammenarbeit bewirken?
Piece jointly written with Prof. Matthias Schündeln (Goethe University Frankfurt) for the German Economic Association (Verein für Socialpolitik, or VfS). The article provides some background information on official development assistance, discusses the challenges of assessing the impact of development projects, and explains the tools economists and other social scientists use to estimate the causal effect of policies and interventions, including development assistance programs.  We hope it will prove valuable to teachers, university lecturers, and anyone interested in how to use data to learn about causal relationships, including the impact of past events and policies. For other contributions to the series, view the VfS page. Published in July 2023.

"Vernacularisation and linguistic democratisation" (joint with Andreas Link and Rajesh Ramachandran)
Vox Column at VoxEU.org,  24 Dec 2020