Christian Merkl

Prof. Dr. Christian Merkl holds the Chair of Economics, specializing in Macroeconomics at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) within the Department of Business, Economics, and Social Sciences. He has been in this position since 2010 and also serves as a research professor at the Institute for Employment Research since 2012. Prof. Merkl is one of the coordinators of the institutional network "Ensuring Economic and Employment Stability" and has held editorial positions at prominent economics journals, including serving as co-editor of the open-access journal Economics from 2015 to 2024 and as associate editor of the Journal for Labour Market Research since 2024.

• Education: Studied business administration and economics from 1998 to 2004 at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Strasbourg (France), and Wayne State University, Detroit (USA)
• Doctorate: Received from Kiel University in 2007 after working as a research associate at Kiel University and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy from 2004 to 2007

Prof. Merkl's research focuses on macroeconomics and labor market research, with particular emphasis on labor market dynamics, unemployment, business cycles, and labor market policy. His work combines theoretical modeling with empirical analysis of German and international labor markets, examining issues such as matching efficiency, wage cyclicality, gender earnings gaps, and the effects of labor market institutions and reforms. Analysis of his publication history reveals strong trends in studying German labor market institutions like Hartz IV reforms, short-time work policies (Kurzarbeit), and public employment agency effectiveness.

• Research spans theoretical labor economics, empirical analysis of German labor markets, and policy evaluation
• Recent work focuses on gender-specific application behavior, establishment-level wage dynamics, and business cycle asymmetries

Prof. Merkl maintains an extensive international research network, having served as a visiting researcher at prestigious institutions including the Banque de France, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the International Monetary Fund, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Texas at Austin. His research has significant policy relevance for German labor market institutions and reforms, contributing to debates on unemployment insurance, labor market efficiency, and economic stabilization policies.