Georg Wenzelburger

Georg Wenzelburger is Professor of Political Science with a focus on Comparative European Research at Saarland University since September 2022. He holds a position within the Faculty of Empirical Humanities and is a member of the CEUS-Collegium. Previously, he served as Professor for Policy Analysis and Political Economy at the University of Kaiserslautern and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Freiburg.

His research focuses on comparative political decision-making processes in the European Union, European states, and subnational levels. Wenzelburger examines policy differences and similarities across European states, the impact of European impulses on national political systems, and the role of political actors—particularly parties—in shaping policies. His work also explores how structural changes like digitalization, uncertainty, and social change affect political decision-making. Additional research interests include public policies in Western countries, with emphasis on the welfare state, law and order policies, public finances, and border regions.

Wenzelburger's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on algorithmic decision-making in criminal justice, border region cooperation, European integration, and the interplay between welfare policies and security policies. His work employs both quantitative and qualitative methods within an empirical-analytical framework, drawing on comparative political economy and public policy theories.

• Jenei Award for article in Public Management Review (2024)

Wenzelburger leads significant third-party funded projects including PROTEMO (a Horizon Europe project worth approximately 3 million euros), Strakosim, and the European Cooperation Platform. His research team conducts work published in top journals such as British Journal of Political Science, European Journal of Political Research, Journal of European Public Policy, and West European Politics, as well as monographs with Routledge and Oxford University Press.

At Saarland University, Wenzelburger teaches primarily in the European Studies program, offering courses including Introduction to European Governance, Politics between the Nation State and the EU, and advanced seminars in Comparative European Politics. He supervises theses in European and International Politics, European Studies: Politics, Law, and Society, and the Master's program Spaces, Politics, and Societies of Europe.