I am a researcher at the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics. I defended my PhD in June 2025.

From October 2025 onwards, I will join the Vienna University of Business and Economics as a non-tenure-track Assistant Professor in Industrial Organization.

I am an applied microeconomist. My research lies at the intersection of empirical industrial organization and public policy evaluation. Exploiting quasi-experimental elements of public policies, I empirically study their intended and unintended effects on firm and consumer behavior. Currently, I mainly study energy industries such as coal mining and the retailing of gasoline.

You can find my CV here.

Job Market Paper

Industrial Policy in Declining Industries: Evidence from German Coal Mines (download)

Abstract: Industrial policy is on the rise. However, empirical evidence of how industrial policy shapes technological progress and productivity remains scarce. This paper examines a policy that aimed at boosting industry-wide productivity by subsidizing plant closures in the declining German coal mining industry. Based on newly digitized, mine-level production data, my findings indicate that the policy increased long-run productivity in three distinct ways: First, it facilitated the exit of low-productivity mines. Second, it triggered reallocation towards large, productive mines, especially in firms where the subsidy alleviated financial constraints. Third, firms invested parts of the policy-induced subsidies into machinery and infrastructure of surviving mines. The resulting within-mine productivity gains extended mines’ lifespan by six years. In total, the associated reduction in marginal cost exceeded the government subsidies.

Working Papers

The heterogeneous effect of entry on prices, formerly CESifo Working Paper No. 10566 (with Simon Martin and Philipp Schmidt-Dengler) - Journal of the European Economic Association, conditionally accepted (Online Appendix)
Immigration, Workforce Composition, and Organizational Performance: The Effect of Brexit on NHS Hospital Quality, IZA Discussion Paper 17797 (with Henrique Castro-Pires, Marco Mello, and Giuseppe Moscelli) - Revise and Resubmit at Economic Journal - an earlier single-authored version of mine is also circulating.
- Press Coverage: The Independent
Indirect taxation in consumer search markets: The case of retail fuel, CEPR Discussion Paper No. 19095 (with Simon Martin and Philipp Schmidt-Dengler)
Competitive Price Cycles, CESifo Working Paper 11971 (with Simon Martin and Karl Schlag)

Publications

Alcohol prohibition and pricing at the pump - Journal of Industrial Economics (2024)
Pricing in response to new information: the case of betting markets (with W. Benedikt Schmal) - Economic Inquiry (2024)
What cannot be cured must be endured: the long-lasting effect of a COVID-19 infection on workplace productivity (with W. Benedikt Schmal and J. James Reade) - Labour Economics (2022)
- Press Coverage: among others, The Economist, FAZ/FAS, The Times
Thinning out spectators: Did football matches contribute to the second COVID-19 wave in Germany? - German Economic Review (2022)
- Press Coverage: WAZ
Home advantage in professional soccer and betting market efficiency: the role of spectator crowds (with Justus Haucap) - Kyklos (2022)
Does crowd support drive the home advantage in professional football? Evidence from German ghost games during the COVID-19 pandemic (with Justus Haucap) - Journal of Sports Economics (2021)
- Press Coverage: NZZ, NDR

Early Stage Work

Fighting the Dutch disease: evidence from the German coal bust (with Andreas Lichter)
Competition, Management, and Productivity: Evidence from the German Coal Mining Industry (with Honghao Zheng)