Holger Breinlich

Professor Holger Breinlich is a Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Surrey, part of the School of Economics. He joined the university in April 2018 after holding academic positions at the University of Essex, University of Mannheim, and University of Nottingham. With a PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE) awarded in 2006, Breinlich focuses on international trade and economic geography. His research examines free trade agreements' economic effects, trade in services, and firm-level export strategies.

Education: Holger earned his PhD from the LSE in 2006. His earlier academic journey included roles at UK and German institutions before settling at Surrey. His career progression reflects expertise in both theoretical and applied trade economics.

Research interests: Breinlich's work bridges empirical and theoretical trade analysis, with emphasis on Brexit's economic consequences, trade policy design, and firm behavior under liberalization. He explores how firms adjust to trade changes through pricing, investment, and geographic expansion strategies. Notable contributions include studies on post-Brexit inflation, UK trade data reliability, and the use of machine learning in assessing trade agreements.

Publications: His recent work highlights trends in gravity model applications, granular firm-level trade data analysis, and evaluating 'deep' trade agreements' impacts. He also analyzes the paradoxical effects of import liberalization on US exports and firms' mode-of-supply decisions in services trade.

Consultancy roles: Breinlich has advised the European Union, OECD, and UK government bodies like the former UKTI and BIS. He provided evidence to UK parliamentary committees on trade policy issues and served as UK academia's representative on the Strategic Trade Advisory Group (2019-20). His advisory work emphasizes translating academic insights into actionable policy recommendations.

Advising and grants: While no formal advisees are listed, his policy roles indicate significant mentorship in shaping trade strategies. Grant details aren't explicitly mentioned, but his research engages with major international organizations. His work often uses stock market and firm-level datasets to quantify policy impacts.

Labs/teams: No dedicated research labs or teams are cited in the provided materials, but his collaborations span institutions like LSE, CEP, and European policy bodies.