Sebastian Schirner

Sebastian Schirner is a postdoctoral researcher at the ifo Institute in Munich since 2025, affiliated with the ifo Center for Migration and Development Economics. Previously, he served as a research assistant at Ruhr University Bochum (2021–2024) and an economist at the German Economic Institute (IW Köln, 2020). He holds a PhD in Economics from Ruhr University Bochum (2024), an M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Cologne (2020), and a B.A. in International Economics and Development from the University of Bayreuth (2017). He also completed a semester abroad at Kasetsart University, Bangkok (2015).

His research focuses on political economy, migration, and development, employing micro-econometric methods to address questions like public spending priorities of politicians, immigration shocks, and refugee policies. Notable work includes studies on the effects of political age demographics on fiscal policies and the societal impacts of migration. He has presented at conferences such as the Annual Conference on Immigration in OECD Countries (2024) and the European Public Choice Society meetings (2022–2024).

Proficient in Stata, R, Python, QGIS, and LaTeX, Schirner also contributes to policy analysis, including co-authoring reports on skilled labor shortages and migration economics. His academic interests bridge empirical research with policy applications, emphasizing causal inference in political and development contexts.