Steffen Müller

Steffen Müller is a Professor of Economics at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and Head of the Department of Structural Change and Productivity at the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH). His research focuses on labor markets, productivity, technological change, and economic disparities between East and West Germany. He holds a diploma in economics from the University of Leipzig (2005), a doctorate from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (2009), and a habilitation in economics and econometrics (2014). Müller is a Fellow at IZA and CESifo, and serves on the Social Policy and Population Economics Committees of the German Economic Association. He advises federal ministries on labor market and social policy issues.

Education:

• 1996: Abitur, Landesschule Pforta
• 2000: Professional qualification as bank clerk
• 2005: Diploma in Economics, University of Leipzig
• 2009: PhD (Dr. rer. pol.), University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
• 2014: Habilitation in Economics and Econometrics

Research Interests: Müller investigates structural economic change, labor market dynamics, wage inequality, and policy impacts such as minimum wage laws. His recent work examines regional productivity gaps, robot adoption effects on employment, and the consequences of trade shocks on labor markets. He emphasizes the role of worker retraining and local industry composition in economic resilience.

Key Contributions: His studies on East-West German productivity differences reveal persistent physical productivity disadvantages in Eastern firms. Work on minimum wage policies highlights within-firm productivity improvements as key drivers of aggregate gains. Analysis of job displacement shows permanent wage premium losses linked to employer size.

Affiliations: Coordinates the IWH Insolvency Research Centre and manages projects like the Max Planck Humboldt Research Award collaboration with Prof. Ufuk Akcigit. Engages in policy advisory roles for Germany's skilled worker monitoring and social reporting initiatives.