Ralph Winkler

Ralph Winkler is an Associate Professor for Microeconomics at the Department of Economics and the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland. He has held this position since March 2014 and serves as Co-Director of the Institute of Economics at the University of Bern. His academic journey includes a Doctoral Dissertation at the Interdisciplinary Institute for Environmental Economics, University of Heidelberg (Ph.D. in Economics, summa cum laude), graduate studies in Economics (M.A.) and Physics (M.S.) at multiple institutions, and teaching roles across undergraduate and graduate programs.

Education:

• Ph.D., Economics (summa cum laude), Interdisciplinary Institute for Environmental Economics, University of Heidelberg (2000–2003)
• M.A., Economics, University of Heidelberg (1996–2000)
• M.S., Physics, Technical University of Munich and University of Heidelberg (1993–1999)
• High school degree (Abitur), Puchheim near Munich (1992)

Research Interests:Ralph Winkler specializes in Climate Change and Environmental Policy, with a focus on international agreements, resource allocation, and long-term economic dynamics. His work combines Game Theory and Optimal Control to analyze strategic delegation in climate treaties, hyperbolic discounting in intergenerational decisions, and structural changes in multi-pollution economies. Recent publications explore refunding clubs for climate cooperation, time-to-build delays in low-carbon transitions, and waste management inefficiencies through evolutionary economics.

Recent Article Trends:His publications between 2008–2022 reflect expertise in Environmental Economics and Dynamic Optimization, with recurring themes: international permit markets, climate mitigation/adaptation trade-offs, and policy design under time preferences. Key methodologies include Non-Cooperative Game Theory, Dynamic Modeling, and Public Goods Analysis.

Teaching and Program Involvement:He has taught undergraduate courses on Environmental Economics, Game Theory, and Resource Management at the University of Bern, and graduate-level courses on Climate Economics and Innovation at ETH Zurich. As founding member and coordinator of the Swiss Program in Environmental and Energy Economics, he integrates interdisciplinary approaches into academic programs.