Renke Schmacker

Renke Schmacker is a Research Fellow at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) in the Research Unit Market Behavior, and concurrently affiliated with DIW Berlin. He holds a PhD in Economics from Freie Universität Berlin (2020). His research focuses on Behavioral Economics, Experimental Economics, and Public Economics, with emphasis on topics like sin taxes, consumer behavior, and policy design. Recent work examines overconfidence's impact on debt, self-control in taxation, and fairness in matching markets. His research has been published in journals such as the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy and European Economic Review. He has contributed to policy analyses on tax effectiveness and welfare take-up, emphasizing behavioral insights. His academic journey includes post-doctoral positions at the University of Lausanne and DIW Berlin, alongside extensive teaching and conference presentations on behavioral economics topics.

Education:

• PhD in Economics, Freie Universität Berlin (2020)
• M.Sc. Economics, Humboldt University Berlin (2015)
• B.Sc. Economics & Business Psychology, Leuphana University Lüneburg (2012)

Research Interests: Behavioral Public Policy, Experimental Design, Taxation Effects, Consumer Decision-Making, Social Image Dynamics, and Matching Market Fairness. His work bridges theoretical models with empirical experiments to address real-world policy challenges.

Policy Contributions: Authored multiple DIW Weekly Reports and policy notes on tax policy design, including sin taxes and climate-related fiscal measures. Co-authored studies showing how self-control heterogeneity affects tax responses and stigma impacts welfare participation.

Labs/Teams: Part of the WZB Market Behavior Research Unit and DIW Berlin's interdisciplinary teams, collaborating with institutions like the University of Lausanne and Hertie School of Governance on behavioral research projects.