Master Thesis

Master Thesis

The Chair of Economics and Social Policy supervises Master theses with a focus on:

  • Social Policy
  • Housing Policy
  • Regional and Urban Economics
  • Tax Policy
  • Cooperatives
  • Political Economy.

Individual proposals related to these topics are generally welcome. In addition, the chair provides specific suggestions for thesis topics (see below). Empirical analysis, literature reviews, and model-based papers are possible, but require suitable existing knowledge. The Master thesis can be written in either English or German.

If you are interested, please contact Prof. Dr. Matthias Wrede or one of our Research Assistants.

Enrollment in one of the following Master Degree programs at the FAU: Socioeconomics (Sozialökonomik), Master of Science in Economics (MSE), or Labor Market and Human Resources (Arbeitsmarkt und Personal)

Other FAU Master degree programs considered upon request.

Registration via the respective thesis advisor is possible at any time or directly with Prof. Dr. Matthias Wrede.

Master Seminar: The requirements of the Master Seminar within the context of the Master Thesis include submitting a written exposé and giving a presentation.

An approximately 2-page exposé is to be prepared after the preliminary discussion with your thesis advisor at the beginning of the thesis work period. A presentation on the research question, structure, and results is to be held during the course of the work on the Master Thesis. The presentation is followed by a discussion.

Guidelines for seminar presentations at the Chair of Economics and Social Policy can be found here.

An example of a presentation for the Master Thesis can be found here.

The Master Thesis can be written in German or English. The length should be between 40 and 60 pages (without tables and figures), but must be agreed upon with the thesis supervisor.

You can find our guidelines for scientific writing at the Chair of Economics and Social Policy and information regarding the formal documentation of empirical analyses here.

The completed thesis must be submitted to the Examinations Office (Prüfungsamt) by the specified deadline in both printed form (two copies) and in electronic form (USB stick or CD).

The opening hours and address of the Examinations Office can be found here.

Concrete Thesis Suggestions
Topic: Auswirkung der Euregio Maas-Rhein und der verstärkten Zusammenarbeit im Rahmen eines „Europäischen Verbundes für territoriale Zusammenarbeit“ (EVTZ) auf lokale Arbeitsmärkte
Task: Mit Hilfe kleinräumiger Geodaten sollen die Auswirkungen der Euregio und des EVTZ auf Beschäftigung und Pendlerströme deskriptiv und empirisch durch den Vergleich mit geeigneten Regionen in der Nähe bzw. in anderen Grenzregionen untersucht werden. Zur Identifikation sollen Differenzen-in-Differenzen und Räumliche Regression-Diskontinuität-Ansätze entwickelt werden.
Literature
  • Howaniec H & Lis M. (2020). Euroregions and Local and Regional Development—Local Perceptions of Cross-Border Cooperation and Euroregions Based on the Euroregion Beskydy. Sustainability 12(18), 7834.
  • Neumark, D. & Simpson, H. (2015). Place-based policies.
  • Duranton G., Henderson J.V., Strange W. (Eds.): Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, vol. 5B , chapter 18, 1198-1287.
“Impact of Female Representation in Local Politics on Economic Outcomes“

Task: Electoral data will be analyzed to examine the representation of women in local political leadership positions. The analysis will then empirically investigate the impact of female representation on economic indicators at the municipal level.

Literature

  • Andreoli, F., Manzoni, E., & Margotti, M. (2022). Women at work: Gender quotas, municipal elections and local spending. European Journal of Political Economy, 75, 102175.
  • Baskaran, T., Bhalotra, S., Min, B., & Uppal, Y. (2024). Women legislators and economic performance. Journal of Economic Growth, 29(2), 151-214.

Advisor: Ramona Müller, M.Sc.
Topic: “Persistence of right-wing extremism in Germany”

Task: In this project, infrastructure built in the past will be used to analyse descriptively and empirically the results of the last national elections in Germany. In particular, it will be analysed if municipalities in which the Nazi Regime built public infrastructures tend to vote more for nowadays´ far right party. The project requires knowledge about Stata/R and QGIS.

Literature

  • Cantoni, D., Hagemeister, F. & M. Westcott (2020). Persistence and Activation of Right-Wing Political Ideology. Discussion Paper No. 143.
  • Carillo, M.F. Fascistville: Mussolini’s new towns and the persistence of neo-fascism. J Econ Growth 27, 527–567 (2022).
  • Voigtlaender, N. & H.-J. Voth (2021). Highway to Hitler. Working Paper 20150.

Supervisor: Elisa Poletto, M.A.