Erik Gawel

Professor Erik Gawel is a Full Professor at Leipzig University, where he serves as Director of the Institute for Infrastructure and Resources Management. Additionally, he holds the role of Deputy Head of the Department of Economics at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ in Leipzig. His work spans institutional and governance issues in water resources and infrastructure management, with a focus on economic instruments for water policy, pricing strategies, demand management, and the water-food nexus.

Research Highlights

• Institutional economics applied to water governance.
• Economic policy for sustainability-oriented transitions in freshwater infrastructure.
• Global water trading patterns and the economic dimensions of the human right to water.

Professional Roles

• Principal Investigator for the Belmont Partner in Germany.
• Reviewer for the IPCC, German Research Foundation, and EU IWRM-Net.
• Advisor to the German Federal Ministry for the Environment on water policy.

He has authored over 200 journal papers and 15 books, solidifying his expertise in water-related economic analysis. His laboratory at Leipzig University, the Institute for Infrastructure and Resources Management, drives interdisciplinary research on resource governance and sustainability transitions.