Research Group Lead Public Finance Maximilian Thomas, M. Sc.

E-Mail: thomas@eucken.de

Research focus:
  • Political Economy
  • Public Finance
  • Regional Economics

Maximilian Thomas studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (B.A.) at the University of Witten/Herdecke, followed by a master’s degree in political economy (M.Sc.) at the University of Konstanz and the University of Essex. He subsequently completed his PhD in empirical public finance at the Ruhr University Bochum. Research stays took him to the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance in Munich. Beginning in November 2025, he will join the Walter Eucken Institute as a postdoctoral researcher and lead the Public Finance research group.

His research interests lie in political economy, public finance, and regional economics. In his research, he uses microdata and econometric methods to identify causal relationships.

Publications

1. Public Administrators As Politicians in Office

in: International Tax and Public Finance (2025) (with ZOHAL HESSAMI and TIMO HÄCKER).

link.springer.com
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1. Fiscal Rules and Off-Budget Adjustments: Evidence from Municipal State-Owned Enterprises

2. Expenditure Cuts vs. Tax Hikes: Economic Effects of Consolidation Strategies

(with ZOHAL HESSAMI and GEORG U. THUNECKE)

Qualifications

10/2021 – 12/2025 Ph.D. in Economics (Dr. oec.), Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

10/2018 – 09/2021 M.Sc. Political Economy, University of Konstanz

10/2019 – 01/2020 Semester Abroad (M.Sc. Economics), University of Essex, United Kingdom

10/2013 – 09/2018 Philosophy, Politics and Economics (B.A.), University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany

Academic positions

since 11/2025 Research Group Lead Public Finance at the Walter Eucken Institut

10/2021 – 10/2025 Research Assistant, Chair for Social Policy and Public Economics, Ruhr University Bochum

10/2020 – 09/2021 Student Research & Teaching Assistant, Chair of Public Economics, University of Konstanz

02/2020 – 04/2020 Intern, ifo Center for Public Finance and Political Economy, Munich

07/2016 – 07/2018 Consulting Intern, Kearney, Düsseldorf