Michael Bechtel

Michael Bechtel is Professor of Political Economy, Chair of the Department of Political Science, and senior researcher in the cluster of excellence ECONtribute: Markets and Public Policy at the University of Cologne. He is also a member of the Cologne Center for Comparative Politics (CCCP). His work focuses on how countries address global economic and environmental sustainability problems.

His research interests span Political Economy, Comparative & International Political Economy, Climate Policy, and Political Behavior. Bechtel examines how countries cope with international economic and environmental risks, which raise questions of inequality and redistribution. His current projects analyze mass support for international climate cooperation, the politics of natural disasters, and political responses to economic crises.

Bechtel's research has appeared in top journals including American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, International Organization, Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. His work has been featured in media outlets across the United States and Europe and in animated movies.

• Major Research Themes:
• Multilateral Climate Policy
• Social Norms in Mass Surveys
• Designing Institutions and Public Policy

Bechtel has provided expert testimony in legal proceedings requiring expertise in social science research, including survey design, conjoint analysis, experiments, and statistical estimation. Prior to becoming a first-generation college student, he served as an infantry soldier and reserve officer in the German Army, including deployment during the 2002 Elbe flood disaster response.