Florian Habermacher

Florian Habermacher is a Lecturer and Project Leader at the Institute of Business and Regional Economics (IBR) at Lucerne School of Business (HSLU). He also serves as Director of suissenergy since 2019 and is a Research Associate at the Swiss Institute for International Economics (SIAW), University of St. Gallen since 2014. His academic roles include a visiting fellowship at the University of Oxford's Institute for New Economic Thinking (2016–18) and Head of Modelling at Aurora Energy Research (2013–18).

Education:

• PhD in Economics and Finance, University of St. Gallen (2009–13)
• MSc in Environmental Engineering and Science, ETH Lausanne (2001–06)
• Visiting Student, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (2003–04)

Research Focus: Habermacher specializes in environmental and energy economics, particularly the economics of the energy transition, climate policy design, and quantitative modeling. His work integrates AI, agent-based simulations, and game theory to address complex policy challenges. Key areas include carbon pricing, renewable energy incentives, and the intersection of effective altruism with economic decision-making.

Key Projects:

• PFM4CA: Public Financial Management for Climate Action
• WindCoEconomy: Economic Impact Analysis of Wind Energy
• Renowave Fuel-Switch Business Models: Financial Innovations for Building Retrofits

Publications Trends: His recent work emphasizes innovative pricing systems for energy, policy commitment dynamics in climate governance, and interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability. Earlier research tackled carbon leakage mechanisms, the green paradox, and basic income feasibility.

Awards & Activities:

• CESifo Research Network Fellow (2020–present)
• Associate Fellow, Institute for New Economic Thinking, Oxford (2016–18)

Advising & Grants: Habermacher leads multiple grant-funded initiatives, including SECO Partnerships for Macroeconomic Support and domestic revenue mobilization projects. His advisory roles span energy policy, regional development, and sustainable finance.

Labs/Teams: Central to his work is the IBR Centre for Regional Economics, where he coordinates research on regional economic resilience and energy transition strategies.