Final Thesis

Please consider the following:

• for Bachelor theses „Information for registration and preparation of the Bachelor thesis“ 

• for Master theses „Information for registration and preparation of the Master thesis". 

1. Final thesis in general terms

The final thesis is your final exam. It is designed to prove that you are able to independently work on a specific question from a specific scientific field within a given time frame and in compliance with scientific standards.

Theses in the field of economics

Are you interested in topics in the field of macroeconomics, microeconomics, international economics or innovation economics? Please contact Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Gehringer via email (agnieszka.gehringer@th-koeln.de) or by phone on 0221/82755243. You can suggest a specific topic or choose a topic from the list below. If you don't have a concrete suggestion yet but a rough idea, I would be happy to help you find a topic. 

2. Supervision

If you encounter any problems while working on your thesis, do not hesitate to contact your supervisor. This is especially the case when it comes to the coordination of essential contents, when you are afraid of losing the overview, when you have layout-related questions or when essential changes of the outline are necessary. Make intensive use of this support opportunity. You should not be afraid of consultations. To the contrary, they enable you to acquire useful information and avoid misunderstandings.

However, you should refrain from sending parts of your work to your supervisor before you hand it in in the examination office. It is and remains your final thesis, which can only be fully evaluated after submission.

3. Topic

The topic is basically freely selectable. However, it must contain a scientific question and be related to the study course.

Even if the last semester is intended for writing the final thesis, you do not do anything wrong or forbidden if you deal with finding a topic early enough.

The agreed topic is the basis for the preparation of a preliminary outline and a preliminary reference list. If you wish, you can also submit an exposé. 

4. Outline and references

After a first insight into the literature relevant to your topic, please prepare a preliminary outline that reflects the structure of the work as well as a preliminary literature list. During your work, individual points of the outline may change/displace by arrangement with your supervisor.

You can find additional information regarding the outline in the document „Information for registration and preparation of the Bachelor thesis“, or „Information for registration and preparation of the Master thesis“. In case of questions, please contact your supervisor.

5. Exposé 

In the exposé, you explain which research goals you pursue with your thesis, to what extent the research gap will be closed by your research and how you will proceed methodically.

Why an exposé? It serves as an assessment by your first and second supervisors/reviewers of the extent to which their work can be completed within the planned timeframe while meeting the requirements of a scientific paper. However, the reviewers cannot give you a guarantee of success at this point, but a well prepared exposé can eliminate some uncertainties at the beginning of your work. It also makes it easier for you to find a suitable structure for your work.

6. Structure, components and length of a final thesis

The structure of a thesis usually consists of the following parts:

  a)    Title page

b)    Abstract

c)    Lists of contents such as figures, tables, abbreviations,  more rarely glossary, etc.

d)    Outline

e)     Text part

f)    Literature list (list of references, or simply references)

g)    Appendix (optional)

h)    Declaration on oath

Length

The text part (without outline, figures, tables and appendices) should not exceed 40 pages for Bachelor's theses and 80 pages for Master's theses. However, it may also be shorter. As a general rule, the scientific depth of the thesis should not be rigidly measured by the number of pages. It is important that even complex relationships are formulated as compactly as possible. Please consult your supervisor on this matter.

7. Literature review

An important basis for your elaboration - regardless of whether you are doing a pure literature thesis, a thesis based on case studies or an empirical study - are the basic works of the related economic discipline. On this basis, you will be able to adequately work on central concepts. 

To work on your topic, you will present the current state of research (textbooks, scientific journals, official documents). An in-depth search for suitable literature references is indispensable. Take a critical look at the references. Only in this way will you succeed in a literature-based argumentation. Please also make sure that your research of sources is conducted according to scientific standards (some sources cannot be seriously cited, for example: Wikipedia, Internet forums).

8. Formating instructions

When writing your thesis, please remember to use correctly block sentences, as they contribute significantly to a better readability of your thesis.

The title page must contain some important information and should be based on official guidelines of the TH Köln (to be found at TH Köln Intern in the section "Dokumentenvorlagen").

 There are various options for page numbering. Here is a concrete suggestion:

• The pages of the outline are numbered in Roman numerals. The first page of the outline begins with "I".

• The following list of contents will be roman numbered.

• The 1st page of the text part is numbered with "1". This numbering is carried out up to and including the last page of the literature list or the appendix.

You have a certain margin of freedom in choosing the style of the literature list. It is important that you remain coherent in your choice throughout your thesis. As a guide, you can use the information in the document „Information for registration and preparation of the Bachelor thesis“, or „Information for registration and preparation of the Master thesis“.

 Appendices

Certain source data, research results, or questionnaire transcripts should not be included in the main part of the thesis because they might be too extensive and would not provide the reader with immediate insights. The appendices at the end of your thesis are very suitable for this purpose. 

9. Time plan

A time frame of nine (literature theses) or 12 (case-study-based and empirical work) weeks is formally given for the Bachelor thesis, from registration to submission. The corresponding writing time for a Master thesis is six months.

The actual writing time within the formal deadline depends on various factors and can hardly be predicted. In any case, it is advisable to start working on the thesis on time.

 After the submission of the thesis, the evaluation takes place, which could take several weeks.

 Would you like to complete your thesis before the start of a new semester? Then, according to the above information, you should start defining the topic, outline and literature research about four (BA) or nine (MA) months before the end of the semester.

10. Evaluation

When reviewing your thesis, the reviewers usually proceed schematically and evaluate the work according to certain criteria:

•  Formal quality of the work: content list, indexes (tables, figures, abbreviations), writing style, spelling, grammar, punctuation, use of paragraphs, comprehensibility, red thread and transition (20% of the grade)

• Structure of the thesis in alignment with the topic: presentation of the research question, focus and thematic reference, clarity and stringency of the argumentation (30% of the grade)

• Content quality of the work: scope and quality of the literature work, quality and accuracy of the explanations, creativity and independence in finding results, usefulness of the research approach and practical suggestions (50% of the grade).

Macroeconomics:

1. The drivers of low inflation in the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis of 2008/2009

2. The drivers of post-pandemic inflation

3. The drivers of low interest rates in the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis of 2008/2009

4. Effectiveness of expansionary monetary policy in the context of low interest rates and low inflation

5. Evaluating central banks' conventional and unconventional tool kit

6. Does money supply tell us anything about inflation? 

7. The natural interest rate: estimations, drivers, and challenges to monetary policy

8. European monetary policy - Are we on the way to Modern Monetary Theory?

9. Does populism affect the central bank independence?

10. Sustainability of public debt

11. Does high public debt put the brakes on growth

12. The impact of public debt on macroeconomic indicators

13. Is public indebtedness bad? 

14. What drives the development of wealth prices in the euro area?

15. Sovereign money system versus bank-based money creation: A comparative analysis

16. Is the euro area an optimal currency area?

17. Public debt in the Eurozone - Developments, causes and consequences

18. The growth effects of the securities purchase programmes in the euro area, the USA and the UK - a comparative analysis

19. Income inequality - An analysis of the most important determinants

20. Real economic effects of currency shocks 

21. Changes in US monetary policy and sudden stops in emerging markets 

22. Covid-19 crisis: A comparison of the monetary policy responses of the US American, Japanese and European Central Bank

23. Has the Covi-19 crisis contributed to rising inequality?

24. Central bank digital currency and the future of monetary policy

25. Central bank digital currency: implications on financial stability

26. The digitalisation of money: implications for the current monetary system

Microeconomics:

1. What determines innovative ability of firms

2. Chances and risks of the blockchain technology

3. Vertical mergers and acquisitions and their effects on competition

4. Effect of confidence building on cartel stability

5. Monopolization of Internet search machines? Economic analysis of causes and consequences

6. A comparison of the instruments for the promotion of renewable energies

7. International certificate trading as a solution to the incentive problem and the enforceability of climate targets

8. Economic analysis of monopson power: concept and application to the e-book market

9. Price discrimination in online retailing

10. Financial intermediation in electronic markets

11. Economic effects of the rental price brake on the German real estate market

12. What drives price formation on real estate markets

13. Game theoretical analysis of terrorism

14. Economic effects of the support mechanisms for renewable energies

15. Market definition and the determination of market power

16. The evolution of asset portfolios of private households

17. What determines the equity aversion of the Germans? A microeconomic analysis

18. Gender differences in competitive situations 

19. The influence of family policy instruments on women's labor market decisions

20. Consumer behavior in retail trade in the era of digitalization

21. The role of narratives in explaining price bubbles

22. Evaluation of behavioural economics nudging strategies

23. Nudging in the financial markets

24. Nudging in digital choic environments

25. Green nudges as an environmental policy instrument

International Economics

1. International trade: Recent trends in (de)globalization 

2. Comparative advantage in digital trade

3. Current international trade controversies 

4. Is globalization to be blamed for the rise populism? 

5. Current developments in international trade disputes: The case of China versus USA

6. Distributional consequences of international trade

7. What do we know about carry trades?

8. The effects of the trade war between China and the USA on the US economy 

9. Does the institutional setting of the international trade order need to be reformed? Discussions around the World Trade Organization

10. Policy responses in front of strategic trade dependences

11. Strategic trade dependences and national security

12. Labour productivity as a driver of international trade

13. The importance of intra-industry trade  

14. Recent developments in Foreign Direct Investments

15. Location  choices of Foreign Direct Investments

16. What are the drivers of Foreign Direct Investments?

17. The role of IMF for central bank independence

18. External debt and economic growth: the case of emerging economies

19. Fiscal and current account imbalances: Is there a link?

20. Does the monetary trilemma still hold?

21. On the validity of purchasing power parity

22. Geo-economic fragmentation in the global economy: recent evidence and policy implications

23. Strategic trade dependece: Does the EU trade model need a re-design?

24. China's foreign direct investments in the EU: What are the drivers and implications?

Other topics

1. Digitalization and the labour market

2. The value of human capital in the age of AI

3. Does technological change drive income inequality

4. Antitrust policy challenges in the age of AI

5. Challenges to financing climate change mitigation and adaptation

6. Business adaptation strategies to climate change

7. What are the drivers of the green transition?

8. Economic policy options and challenges for the green transition