Prof. Dr. Zohal Hessami
Room: GD 1/283
Phone: 0234 / 32 - 28971
Fax: 0234 / 32 - 14247
Email: zohal.hessami@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Short Biography
Zohal Hessami is a Professor for Social Policy and Public Economics at the Ruhr-University Bochum, a CESifo Munich affiliate member and an IZA Bonn research fellow. She was elected as President of the European Public Choice Society in April 2022.
She visited Universitat Pompeu Fabra in 2014 and the University of Cambridge in 2013. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Maastricht University and Université de Montréal and received her Doctorate in Economics from the University of Konstanz in 2011.
She studies policy-relevant topics such as political business cycles, determinants of individual voting behavior, political selection and consequences of European integration and globalization. Her research has been widely published in journals such as the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, the Review of Economics and Statistics, and the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.
Curriculum Vitae
Current positions and affiliations
Since 04/2022: President, European Public Choice Society
Since 07/2020: Professor (W3), Chair for Social Policy & Public Economics, RUHR-UNIVERSITY BOCHUM
Since 10/2019: Research fellow, IZA BONN
Since 09/2019: Affiliate member, CESifo MUNICHPrevious positions
04/2020 – 07/2020: Professor (W2, Vertretung), Faculty of Social Science, RUHR-UNIVERSITY BOCHUM
02/2019 – 01/2020: Professor (W3, Vertretung), Department of Economics, UNIVERSITY OF MANNHEIM
10/2012 – 01/2019: Junior professor (W1), Department of Economics, UNIVERSITY OF KONSTANZ01/2012 – 09/2012: Postdoc, UNIVERSITY OF MANNHEIM, Department of Economics
09/2011 – 12/2011: Trainee, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK, DG Economics, Fiscal Policies Division, Frankfurt
01/2011 – 08/2011: Postdoc, UNIVERSITY OF KONSTANZ, Department of Economics / Zukunftskolleg
01/2011 – 08/2011: Postdoc, UNIVERSITY OF KONSTANZ, Department of Economics / Zukunftskolleg
05/2007 – 09/2008: Research/teaching assistant, UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG, Department of Economics
09/2006 – 12/2006: Investment banking intern, JPMORGAN, Equity Capital Markets, London, UK
05/2005 – 07/2005: Research intern, ZEW MANNHEIM, Dept. for International Finance/Financial Management
Research visits
08/2019: Visiting researcher, IFO INSTITUTE, Munich (one week)
03/2014 – 04/2014: Visiting researcher, UNIVERSITAT POMPEU FABRA (Host: Patricia Funk)05/2013 – 07/2013: Visiting researcher, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Host: Toke S. Aidt)
Education
01/2011: PhD (Dr. rer. pol.) in Economics (summa cum laude), UNIVERSITY OF KONSTANZ
Doctoral Program in "Quantitative Economics and Finance"
07/2006: MSc (Doctorandus) in Economics, MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY, Netherlands
08/2015 – 12/2005: Exchange semester, UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL, Canada
08/2002: Pre-diploma (Propedeuse) in Economics, MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY
Doctoral Program in "Quantitative Economics and Finance"
07/2006: MSc (Doctorandus) in Economics, MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY, Netherlands
08/2015 – 12/2005: Exchange semester, UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL, Canada
08/2002: Pre-diploma (Propedeuse) in Economics, MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY
06/2001: High school degree (Abitur), GUTENBERG-GYMNASIUM, Bergheim/Erft, Germany
Professional activities
Since 08/2020: Standing Field Committee on Public Finance of the Verein für Socialpolitik, Elected member
Since 05/2018: European Journal of Political Economy, Member of the Editorial Board
04/2018-04/2020: European Public Choice Society (EPCS), Elected member of the Executive Board
04/2018-04/2020: European Public Choice Society (EPCS), Elected member of the Executive Board
08/2019: European Economic Association (EEA), Panelist on "How to Provide and Receive
Quality Feedback in Academia: Strategies for Young Economists", 34th Annual
Congress of the EEA in Manchester
Quality Feedback in Academia: Strategies for Young Economists", 34th Annual
Congress of the EEA in Manchester
2014 – 2015: International Institute of Public Finance (IIPF), Member of the Scientific Committee
for the 71st Annual Congress of the IIPF in Dublin
Grants
11/2020 – 09/2021: DFG workshop (€16.800): "Elections, institutional reforms, and public policy"
11/2020: Ranked among "Top 40 under 40" researchers in Germany by the magazine "Capital"09/2018 – 08/2022: DFG (€410.692): “Political selection in Germany” (with T. Baskaran, U Siegen)
01/2017 – 12/2017: YSF (€6.060): “Political selection and policy choices”
09/2015: GSDS (€5.000): "Political Economy: Theory Meets Empirics" workshop organization
(with M.T. Schneider, U Bath & S. Fehrler, U Konstanz)
09/2015: GSDS (€5.000): "Political Economy: Theory Meets Empirics" workshop organization
(with M.T. Schneider, U Bath & S. Fehrler, U Konstanz)
01/2014 – 12/2014: YSF (€6.400): “Local governments, political institutions, fiscal outcomes”
01/2013 – 12/2013: YSF (€6.900): “Complexity in direct democracy, voters’ decision-making, reforms”
07/2011 – 12/2011: YSF (€2.000): “Public debt, political institutions, successful consolidations”
01/2011 – 06/2011: ZUKUNFTSKOLLEG: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (without teaching obligation)
10/2008 – 01/2011: MINISTRY OF CULTURE & EDUCATION BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG: PhD stipend
01/2013 – 12/2013: YSF (€6.900): “Complexity in direct democracy, voters’ decision-making, reforms”
07/2011 – 12/2011: YSF (€2.000): “Public debt, political institutions, successful consolidations”
01/2011 – 06/2011: ZUKUNFTSKOLLEG: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (without teaching obligation)
10/2008 – 01/2011: MINISTRY OF CULTURE & EDUCATION BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG: PhD stipend
Workshop organization
09/2021: "Elections, institutional reforms, and public policy", with M. Lopes da Fonseca (U St. Gallen)
04/2018: "Regional Economics and Local Political Economy", with T. Baskaran (U Siegen)
09/2015: “Political Economy: Theory Meets Empirics", with M. Schneider (U Bath), S. Fehrler (U KN)
Refereeing
Peer-reviewed journals
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
American Political Science Review
Economic Journal
European Economic Review
Journal of Public Economics
Journal of Public Economics
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
Journal of Politics
World Development
Economics of Education Review
Education Economics
European Journal of Political Economy
Labour Economics
Public Choice
International Tax and Public Finance
International Tax and Public Finance
Economics and Politics
Kyklos
Economics of Governance
Electoral Studies
Southern Economic Journal
CESifo Economic StudiesJournal of Common Market Studies
China Economic Review
Mathematical Social Sciences
European Journal of Law and Economics
Review of International Organizations
Regional Studies
Applied Economics
B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy
Applied Economics
B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy
Bulletin of Economic Research
Manchester School
Contemporary Economic Policy
Games
Comparative Political Studies
International Studies Quarterly
International Journal of Wellbeing
International Interactions
International Interactions
Conferences
Verein für Socialpolitik 2020, 2021
European Public Choice Society (EPCS) 2019-2021
ZEW Public Finance Conference 2020, Member of Scientific Committee
International Institute of Public Finance (IIPF) Meeting 2015, Member of Scientific Committee
Spring Meeting of Young Economists (SMYE) 2013-2015
Research councils
Israel Science Foundation (ISF)
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
Czech Science Foundation