Ferdinand Rauch

Ferdinand Rauch is a Professor of Economics at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, affiliated with the Swiss Institute for International Economics and Applied Economic Research (SIAW-HSG). His research focuses on labor markets, urban economics, and international trade, investigating productivity drivers, spatial economic organization, and urbanization-trade interconnections through empirical analysis of historical and contemporary data.

Professor Rauch's work spans urban economics, international trade, and economic geography with emphasis on structural transformation and spatial dynamics. He examines how trade networks shape economic development, analyzes infrastructure impacts on urban growth (e.g., London Underground, Panama Canal), and explores long-term effects of historical events like the Iron Curtain's fall. His methodology combines theoretical modeling with large-scale empirical studies across diverse contexts including Africa, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Rauch's publication record (2014-2025) reveals consistent thematic focus on spatial economic phenomena. Recent work investigates identity in trade through Hanseatic League legacies, urban responses to flooding, and market access paradoxes where trade gains don't spur growth. He frequently employs historical case studies and natural experiments to uncover causal mechanisms in economic geography, with publications in top journals like the Quarterly Journal of Economics and Journal of Political Economy.

Professor Rauch leads a research chair at the University of St. Gallen, directing a collaborative team focused on applied economic questions. The chair engages in international projects analyzing trade networks, urban development, and historical economic shocks, contributing policy-relevant insights through rigorous empirical analysis of spatial economic patterns.