Helmut Bester

Prof. Helmut Bester is a Senior Advisor in the Department of Economics at Humboldt University of Berlin (since 2020), previously holding professorships at Freie Universität Berlin (1995–2020) and Tilburg University (1990–1995). He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Bonn University (1984) and an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics (1981). His research focuses on Microeconomic Theory, Information Economics, and Contract Theory, addressing topics like market design, signaling, and organizational decision rights.

Notable contributions include work on credence goods markets, procurement mechanisms, and strategic interactions in matching markets. His publications span leading journals such as Games and Economic Behavior, RAND Journal of Economics, and Journal of Economic Theory. He has mentored prominent scholars including Maja Adena and Roland Strausz.

Current research emphasizes fairness in bilateral markets, cooperative dynamics, and optimal allocation of decision rights. His career includes visiting roles at MIT, UC San Diego, and the German Science Foundation (Heisenberg Fellowship, 1988–1990).