Martin Kesternich

Prof. Dr. Martin Kesternich is a Professor of Economics, especially Sustainability, at the Department 4: Economics within the Faculty of Economics at the University of Paderborn. His research focuses on environmental and behavioral economics, addressing cooperation challenges in sustainable resource use and developing evidence-based solutions for climate policy and collective action problems.

• Faculty of Economics, University of Paderborn
• Department 4: Economics, Chair in Sustainability

His work examines incentive structures for climate protection, behavioral decision-making in sustainability contexts, and policy instrument design for energy efficiency, equity in climate transitions, and consumer cooperation. He integrates microeconomic theory with interdisciplinary links to psychology and business studies.

Recent publications analyze field experiments on energy efficiency, climate policy compliance, and behavioral interventions for low-income households. Key projects include DFG-funded research on "Asset Allocation and Asset Pricing" and policy evaluations for programs like "Energy Efficiency for All."

He teaches modules including Field Experiments in Environmental and Behavioral Economics and Behavioral Environmental Economics, emphasizing critical analysis of causal relationships and preparing students for research through seminars connected to his work. Thesis supervision prioritizes microeconometric and experimental methods, requiring completion of statistical software courses.

The research team includes collaborators such as Vicky Leoni Tinnefeld, Stephanie Langenströer, and Felix Sebastian Mörchel. The chair’s work bridges academic research with practical policy advice, evident in contributions to the Paris Climate Agreement analysis and the Three Minute Thesis Competition for student research dissemination.