Frank Westerhoff

Frank Westerhoff is Professor of Economics and holds the Chair of Economic Policy at the University of Bamberg's Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences. His office is located in the Department of Economics at Feldkirchenstrasse 21, 96045 Bamberg, Germany, with office hours on Wednesdays from 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Dr. Westerhoff obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Osnabrück in 2002, followed by his habilitation in 2005. After a brief period at the University of Bonn, he joined the University of Bamberg in 2006 where he has held his current position since.

Professor Westerhoff specializes in developing, calibrating and estimating small-scale behavioral agent-based models to investigate financial market dynamics and macroeconomic phenomena. His research particularly focuses on how policy measures such as transaction taxes, central bank interventions, and monetary and fiscal policy rules affect economic systems. His work bridges mathematical economics, behavioral finance, and complex systems theory to understand the nonlinear dynamics that characterize real-world financial markets.

His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a continued focus on nonlinear dynamics in financial markets, with particular emphasis on piecewise linear discontinuous maps, quasiperiodic attractors, and the application of these mathematical concepts to agent-based economic modeling. His research shows how seemingly simple nonlinear mechanisms can generate complex market behaviors that match empirical observations.

Professor Westerhoff has served on the editorial boards of the prestigious Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization and the Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, contributing to the advancement of research in his field.

With approximately 75 publications across 40 international journals and collaborations with about 20 different co-authors, Professor Westerhoff maintains an active research program. His work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration with mathematicians and physicists to apply advanced dynamical systems techniques to economic questions.