Optimal taxation, public goods, political economy, economic theory

Felix Bierbrauer is Professor for Economics and Chair for Public Economics at the University of Cologne.  He is a member of the board of academic advisors of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. He is also affiliated with the CEPR, CESifo, and the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods. Felix received his PhD in 2006 at the University of Mannheim. He was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, USA.

Published papers

• ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy: Agenda und ausgewählte Forschungsschwerpunkte

  Bayer, C., Bierbrauer, F., Ockenfels, A. & Sutter, M. (2025). ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy: Agenda und ausgewählte Forschungsschwerpunkte. Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik. https://doi.org/10.1515/pwp-2024-0041

• Pareto-Improving Tax Reforms and the Earned Income Tax Credit

  Bierbrauer, F. J., Boyer, P. C., & Hansen, E. (2023). Pareto‐Improving Tax Reforms and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Econometrica.

• Mehrheitsfähige und wohlfahrtssteigernde Reformen des deutschen Steuer- und Transfersystems: Von Entzugsraten, Mittelstands- und Wohlstandsbäuchen

  Peichl, A., Bierbrauer, F., Sachs, D., & Weishaar, D. (2021) Mehrheitsfähige und wohlfahrtssteigernde Reformen des deutschen Steuer- und Transfersystems: Von Entzugsraten, Mittelstands- und Wohlstandsbäuchen. Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik.

• Taxes and Turnout: When the Decisive Voter Stays at Home

  Bierbrauer, F., Tsyvinski, A., & Werquin, A. (2022). Taxes and Turnout: When the Decisive Voter Stays at Home. American Economic Review.

• Politically Feasible Reforms of Non-linear Tax Systems

  Bierbrauer, F., & Boyer, P. (2018). Politically feasible reforms of non-linear tax systems.

• All or Nothing: State Capacity and Optimal Public Goods Provision

  Bierbrauer, F., & Winkelmann, J. (2020). All or nothing: State capacity and optimal public goods provision. Journal of Economic Theory, 185, 104955.

Discussion papers

• Tax Reforms and Multi-Dimensional Screening

• ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy: Agenda und ausgewählte Forschungsschwerpunkte

• Pareto-Improvements, Welfare Trade-Offs and the Taxation of Couples

• Is a Uniform Price on Carbon Desirable?

• The Political Economy of Joint Taxation

• Taxes and Turnout: When the Decisive Voter Stays at Home

• Competitive Gerrymandering and the Popular Vote

• Pareto-Improving Tax Reforms and the Earned Income Tax Credit

Policy briefs

• Fantastic tax cuts and where to find them

• Towards Politically Feasible and Welfare-Improving Tax Reforms