Economic History, Political Economc, Labor Economics, Technological Diffusion, Social Mobility

Erik Hornung is a Professor of Economic History at the University of Cologne, a Research Fellow at CESifo, CEPR, and CAGE, and an Associate Editor at The Economic Journal. Before Erik joined the University of Cologne, he was a Professor of Economics at the University of Bayreuth and Senior
Research Fellow at the Max-Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the LMU Munich.

Published papers

• NAFTA and Drug-Related Violence in Mexico

  Hidalgo, E., Hornung, E., & Selaya, P. (2026). NAFTA and drug-related violence in Mexico. Journal of Development Economics, 103719.

• The Political Effects of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Weimar Germany

  Bauernschuster, S., Blum, M., Hornung, E., & Koenig, C. (2025). The political effects of the 1918 influenza pandemic in Weimar Germany. Explorations in Economic History, 96, 101648.

• Flow of Ideas: Economic Societies and the Rise of Useful Knowledge

  Cinnirella, F., Hornung, E., & Koschnick, J. (2024). Flow of Ideas: Economic Societies and the Rise of Useful Knowledge. The Economic Journal.

• Structural Change, Elite Capitalism, and the Emergence of Labor Emancipation

  Ashraf, Q. H., Cinnirella, F., Galor, O., Gershman, B., & Hornung, E. (2024). Structural change, elite capitalism, and the emergence of labor emancipation. Review of Economic Studies, rdae043.

• Religious Practice and Student Performance: Evidence from Ramadan Fasting

  Hornung, E., Schwerdt, G., & Strazzeri, M. (2023). Religious practice and student performance: Evidence from Ramadan fasting. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

• Roman Transport Network Connectivity and Economic Integration

  Flückiger, M., Hornung, E., Larch, M., Ludwig, M., & Mees, A. Roman Transport Network Connectivity and Economic Integration. The Review of Economic Studies (forthcoming).

Discussion papers

• Industrialization and the Return to Labor: Evidence from Prussia

• The Political Effects of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Weimar Germany

• NAFTA and Drug-Related Violence in Mexico

• Flow of Ideas: Economic Societies and the Rise of Useful Knowledge

• Religious Practice and Student Performance: Evidence from Ramadan Fasting

• Roman Transport Network Connectivity and Economic Integration

Policy briefs

• How the 1918 influenza pandemic affected voting in the Weimar Republic

• The importance of access to knowledge for technological progress in the Industrial Revolution

• Ramadan intensity and subsequent student achievement

• Industrialisierung im Deutschen Reich: Welche Rolle spielte die öffentliche Infrastruktur?