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Causal Inference
& Econometrics
Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) have been developed in computer science and are now used for causal inference in several empirical sciences such as epidemiology, biostatistics, and political science. Thus far, the application of DAGs to research in applied econometrics remains strongly limited. In my work I want to demonstrate how exactly DAGs can be useful for causal inference in economics.
Philosophy of Science
I propose Philosophy of Methodology as an approach to methodological questions arising in interdisciplinary contexts in the sciences. Unlike general philosophy of science, philosophy of methodology is very close to the actual scientific practice of the sciences it examines. Unlike philosophy of the special sciences, its analysis is not restricted to a specific discipline but rather aims at analyzing, contextualizing, and resolving methodological disputes arising in many of the (empirical) sciences.
The Economics of Climate Change
The climate crisis is likely to be one of the greatest challenges for policy making in the upcoming decades. I'm interested in applying rigorous methods for policy evaluation using causal inference methods and machine learning to study the impact of policies. Applications include, but are not limited to: labor market effects, green industrial policy, carbon pricing, green innovation, and biodiversity.
Working Papers
Most of the papers listed below are available as working papers upon request.
Papers for my PhD "Essays on Causal Inference in Climate Economics"
A paper investigating the labor market effects of the green transition by calculating the carbon footprint of jobs, the carbon profile of occupations, and exploiting the differences in share of jobs affected in a region for plausible exogenous variation.
A paper using double machine learning to estimate plant-level heterogeneities in carbon price elasticities using high-frequency data from the electricity sector.
A paper quantifying the causal links between co-location decisions of hydrogen, steel, and renewables production on the plant level, and how those are mediated by existing and new infrastructure.
A paper comprehensively assessing the effectiveness of climate policies in four sectors across two decades using a novel break-detection method that combines machine learning and classical time series econometrics with a differences-in-differences logic. [Published in Science]
A paper using the same method identifying climate policy mixes that drove major increases in green patenting, which also includes some conceptual contributions to analyzing policy mixes.
Previous Work
The Limits of Counterfactual Reasoning. Two Case Studies from Economics
Working Paper, 2022
Equivalence, Which Equivalence? The Case of Structural Causal Models and Potential Outcomes.
Working Paper, 2021
The Causes of the Motherhood Wage Penalty. A New Identification Strategy Using Directed Acyclic Graphs
Working Paper, 2020
“There Is No Alternative” as a Pragmatic No Alternatives Argument. A Bayesian Network of TINA Policy Making
Working Paper, 2020
Otto Neurath Meets Causal Models. Graphical Representation in Economics from ISOTYPE to DAGs
Working Paper
Inductive Risk with Two Types of Consumers. An Application to Epistemically Harmful Dissent in Epidemiology.
Working Paper, 2019
Equal Living Conditions and Regional Mobility. Implications of Liberalization and Privatization on Local Rail Passenger Services in Germany and France
Bachelor Thesis in Political Science (published, in German)
Optimal Policy Modeling? An Argumentation Theory Approach to Making Sense of Economic Modeling
Bachelor Thesis in Philosophy (published)
Academic Presentations
You can find a list of my academic presentations below. If you're interested in the slides, feel free to contact me.
The Limits of Counterfactual Reasoning. Two Case Studies from Economics
March 8th, 2024 (Stanford University)
Conference: Economic Methodology: Models, Measurement, and Interventions
earlier versions also presented at
GAP.11, The German Society for Analytic Philosophy's Annual Meeting 2022 (Humboldt University, Berlin) and
34th Annual EAEPE Conference 2022 (Naples, Italy)
Equivalence, Which Equivalence? The Case of Structural Causal Models and Potential Outcomes
December 3rd, 2021 (Harvard University)
Interfaculty Causality Initiative, Harvard University Department of Philosophy
also presented at
The Philosophy of Science Association's 27th Biennial Meeting 2021 (Baltimore, USA; Poster Presentation); YES Causal Inference Conference 2023 (Eindhoven, Netherlands); and The Plurality of Evidence and Causality in Economics Workshop 2024 (Kraków, Poland)
Finding Causality in Econometrics. Identification Using Directed Acyclic Graphs
October 9th, 2020 (DZHW Hannover, online)
Workshop: “Causality in the Social Sciences II” (Contributed Talk)
Graphical Causal Modeling in Econometrics. A Philosophy of Methodology Perspective
August 14th, 2020 (MCMP Munich, online)
Conference: “Bayesian Epistemology: Perspectives and Challenges” (Contributed Talk)
Causal Inference Using Directed Acyclic Graphs. The Case of the Motherhood Wage Penalty
June 5th, 2020 (University of Siegen, online)
PhD Methods Colloquium, Department for Pluralist Economics (Invited Talk)
“There Is No Alternative” as a Pragmatic No Alternatives Argument. A Bayesian Network of TINA Policy Making
May 2, 2020 (MCMP Munich, online)
Conference: “international conference. Students of Analytic Philosophy” (ic.SoAP) (Contributed Talk)
Organized by MAPHS (MCMP/LMU Munich) and Phileas (University of Geneva)
Optimal Policy Modeling? An Argumentation Theory Approach to Making Sense of Economic Modeling
May 16th, 2019 (BOKU Vienna)
Conference: “2nd Vienna Conference on Pluralism in Economics” (Contributed Talk)
Organized by the Society for Pluralism in Economics Vienna
also presented at
Conference: “Think! Student Conference Bayreuth” (June 23rd, 2018; University of Bayreuth)
Reading Groups
I have been organizing reading groups, seminars, and lecture series on topics at the intersection of philosophy and economics since 2016.
PIK/MCC Philosophy for Science Colloquium (hosted at TU Berlin and PIK)
Topics (2025, at PIK): Philosophy of Data Analysis; Agency; tba
Topics (2024, at TU): Philosophy of Scientific Practice; Philosophical Issues in Policy Advice; Model Transfer in Science;
Topics (2023, at TU): Endogenous Preferences; Interdisciplinarity in Scientific Practice; The Philosophy of Just Transition;
Martin Weitzman Reading Group (MCC Berlin)
various early and lesser known papers by Martin Weitzman
Young Scholars Initiative (YSI, online)
Can DAGs advance current econometrics knowledge? (winter term 2020-21, joint with João Macalos and Mathieu Chtioui)
Rethinking Economics Munich (RE:MUC): Philosophy and Methodology of Economics Reading Group @ MCMP
Selected Works by Amartya Sen (summer term 2021)
What is Money? (winter term 2020-21)
Causal Inference in Econometrics. Graphical Causal Modeling Using Directed Acyclic Graphs (summer term 2020)
Conceptual Alternatives to Capitalism (winter term 2019-20)
Methods in Climate Economics (summer term 2019)
Philosophy of Economics: Models, Phenomena, Data (winter term 2018-19)
Rethinking Economics Tübingen (RE:TUE)
Complexity and the Economy: Agent-based modeling and networks (seminar, February 2017, co-organizor)
The header shows my cohort's preparation for the metrics exam (est. February 2020)
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