Dirk Sliwka

Prof. Dr. Dirk Sliwka is Professor of Personnel Economics and Chair of Corporate Development at the University of Cologne, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. His research lies at the intersection of personnel economics, organisational design and strategic management, with a particular focus on how incentives, delegation and organisational structures affect individual behaviour and firm performance.

Research Interests

• Personnel economics: design of pay-for-performance, tournaments and incentive contracts
• Organisational control: delegation of authority, responsibility allocation and governance structures
• Theory of the firm: boundaries, vertical integration and strategic decision making
• Behavioural labour economics: reciprocity, fairness, envy and compassion in employment relations

Across more than two decades of scholarship, his empirical and theoretical work spans laboratory experiments, theoretical principal-agent models and large-scale organisational studies. Recent publications examine career concerns in labour markets, the role of responsibility in organisations and strategic delegation in oligopolistic contests, reflecting a consistent interest in how psychological and economic forces shape organisational outcomes.

Scientific Awards

• HR Award 2010 – awarded for outstanding contributions to human resource management research
• Nominated ten times in HR magazine’s list of “The 40 Leading HR Minds”

Grants & Doctoral Training

Prof. Sliwka is an active member of the Cologne Graduate School in Management, Economics and Social Sciences (CGS), which provides doctoral training within the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. His chair is also closely linked to the ECONtribute Cluster of Excellence “Markets & Public Policy”, a joint initiative of the Universities of Cologne and Bonn funded under the German Excellence Strategy.

Laboratory & Collaboration

Research at the chair is conducted in close collaboration with the Cologne Laboratory for Economic Research (CLER) and benefits from interdisciplinary ties to behavioural economics and psychology institutes across the university.