Winter 2025/26: Economics of Technology & Innovation (BSc)
In this course, we will identify and analyse key issues of innovation policy, understand why they matter, explore their consequences, and introduce analytical methods to analyze and policy tools to address them:
Why does society want innovation, and why would governments care about it? Is there "enough" innovation activity, and what can be done if there is not? And how can we approach these questions conceptually (and empirically) in the first place?
The course complements other offerings at TUM School of Management that study innovation from a management perspective.
For prospective students: all information on this year's course is available on the Moodle course page at https://www.moodle.tum.de/course/section.php?id=3875797.
Please register for the course via TUMonline; the module ID is MGT001298.
You can also get an idea of the course content in the syllabus.
Enrolled students receive full slide decks, worked examples, and solution notes via the learning platform; selected materials are available on request for colleagues interested in the course design.
Summer 2025: Advanced Seminar on the Economics of Digital Platforms (MSc seminar)
This seminar comprises a kick-off meeting, a short methods bootcamp (two lectures), student presentations over two full days, and at least one supervisory meeting.
The kick-off session introduces the overall theme of the seminar, the list of suggested topics for term papers, and organizational details. The bootcamp is designed to bring students with heterogeneous backgrounds to a similar starting point: we review the core economics of platform markets and discuss how to find, read, and critically assess frontier academic literature in this area.
Students then work on individual or small-group term papers under my supervision. Preliminary results are discussed in at least one supervisory meeting (on campus or via Zoom), and final findings are presented in class during the presentation days. Attendance on all presentation days and participation in a supervisory meeting with discussion of preliminary results are required to pass the course.
For prospective students: the number of seats in the course is limited. Please register well in advance via TUMonline; the module ID is MGT001312. If you are unable to secure a fixed seat in the course but would still like to participate, please contact me by email before the kick-off meeting; I will consider your application in case of deregistrations.
You can form your expectations about the course by consulting last year's list of suggested topics with key references.
If you are writing your thesis under my supervision, please read the thesis advice page carefully; it explains the process, expectations, typical questions and challenges students face, and how to approach them effectively .
If you are interested in having me as your thesis supervisor, please also start with the advice page. It describes what I expect from prospective supervisees and how to contact me. Moreover, you may find inspiration for potential topics on the thesis topic ideas page.
Unfortunately, I do not have the capacity to take on additional thesis students.