Comparative & International Political Economy, Climate Politics, Political Behavior

Michael Bechtel is Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Political Science and European Affairs and a faculty member at the Cologne Center for Comparative Politics (CCCP) at the University of Cologne. He investigates how countries can address economic and environmental risks that tend to require redistribution. Current projects focus on the drivers of mass support for global climate action and the impact of economic crises and natural disasters on elections. Previously, Bechtel held faculty positions at Washington University in St. Louis and University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. He received his habilitation from ETH Zurich in 2012 and completed his PhD in Political Science at the University of Konstanz in 2008.

Published papers

• Improving Public Support for Climate Action Through Multilateralism

  Bechtel, M.M., Scheve, K.F. & van Lieshout, E. (2022). Improving public support for climate action through multilateralism. Nature Communications.

• Can Policy Responses to Pandemics Reduce Mass Fear?

  Bechtel, M., O’Brochta, W., & Tavits, M. (2022). Can Policy Responses to Pandemics Reduce Mass Fear? Journal of Experimental Political Science.

Policy briefs

• Can Multilateralism Contribute to Solving The Climate Crisis?