Welcome to my homepage! I am a Professor for Macroeconomics and Development at the University of Göttingen. Below you will find my publications sorted by areas of interest. Go here for a chronologically ordered list of publications. Go here for recent working papers.

Technology and Growth | Other Development Econ | Environmental Econ |
Health and Aging | Other Macro and Public Econ | Religion and Social Norms |

Technology and Growth

Inequality and the Industrial Revolution (with Jakob Madsen), European Economic Review, forthcoming. [paper]

Testing Unified Growth Theory: Technological Progress and the Child Quantity–Quality Trade-off (with Jakob Madsen), Quantitative Economics, 2023, Vol. 14, 235-275. [paper]

Physiological Constraints and the Transition to Growth: Implications for Comparative Development (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard and Jakob Madsen), Journal of Economic Growth, 2021, Vol. 26(3), 241-289. [open access article]

Robots, Reshoring, and the Lot of Low-Skilled Workers (with Astrid Krenz and Klaus Prettner), European Economic Review, 2021, Vol. 136, 103744. [paper]

Innovation and Inequality in a Small World (with Ines Lindner), International Economic Review, 2020, Vol 61(2), 683-719. [open access article]

Innovation, Automation, and Inequality: Policy Challenges in the Race against the Machine (with Klaus Prettner), Journal of Monetary Economics, 2020, Vol. 116, 249-265. [open access article]

Technological Change and Inequality in the Very Long Run (with Jakob Madsen), European Economic Review, 2020, Vol. 129, 103532. [paper]

Contraception and Development: A Unified Growth Theory, International Economic Review 2017, Vol. 58, 561–584 [paper]

Human Physiological Development and Economic Growth (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard), in: Cervellati, M., & Sunde, U. (Eds.). (2017). Demographic Change and Long-run Development. MIT Press. [paper]

Physiology and Development: Why the West is Taller than the Rest (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard), Economic Journal, 2016, Vol. 126, 2292–2323 . [paper]

Technology, Trade, and Growth: The Role of Education (with Klaus Prettner), Macroeconomic Dynamics, 2016; Vol. 20, 1381-1394. [paper]

Limited Self-Control and Long-Run Growth, Mathematical Social Sciences, 2016, Vol. 83, 1-8. [paper]

The Physiological Foundations of the Wealth of Nations (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard), Journal of Economic Growth, 2015, Vol. 20, 37-73. [paper]

Hyperbolical Discounting and Endogenous Growth, Economics Letters, 2015, Vol. 126, 131-134. [paper (extended version)]

From Tradition to Modernity: Economic Growth in a Small World (with Ines Lindner), Journal of Development Economics, 2015, Vol. 109, 17-29. [paper] [Appendix B]

Knowledge and Growth in the Very Long-Run, International Economic Review, 2014, Vol. 55, 443-458. [paper][2009 Version][Online Appendix]

How Child Costs and Survival Shaped the Industrial Revolution and the Demographic Transition (with Jacob Weisdorf), Macroeconomic Dynamics, 2014, 18, 114-144. [Paper]

The Past and Future of Knowledge-based Growth (with Klaus Prettner and Alexia Prskawetz), Journal of Economic Growth, 2013, Vol. 18, 411-437. [paper]

The History Augmented Solow Model (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard), European Economic Review, 2013, Vol. 63, 134-149. [paper]

Patience and Prosperity, Journal of Economic Theory, 2012, Vol. 147, 336-352.[paper]

Population, Food, and Knowledge: A Simple Unified Growth Theory, (with Jacob Weisdorf), Journal of Economic Growth, 2008, Vol.13, 169-194. [paper] The benchmark model solved in a spreadsheet [strulik_weisdorf_2008.xls]

Too Much of a Good Thing? The Quantitative Economics of R&D-driven Growth Revisited, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 2007, Vol. 109, 369-386. [paper]

The Role of Human Capital and Population Growth in R &D-Based Models of Economic Growth, Review of International Economics, 2005, Vol. 13, 129-145. [open access article]

On Endogenous Growth with Physical Capital, Human Capital and Product Variety (with Michael Funke), European Economic Review, 2000, Vol. 44, 491-515. [Addendum]


Other Development Economics

Higher Education and the Income--Fertility Nexus, Journal of Population Economics, 2024, Vol. 37 [open access article]

The Impact of Menstruation Hygiene Management on Work Absenteeism of Women in Burkina Faso (with Astrid Krenz), Economics and Human Biology, 2021, Vol. 43, 101067. [paper]

Nepotism, Schooling Outcomes and Economic Development (with Marcello Perez-Alvarez), Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2021, Vol. 181, 211-240. [paper]

Myopic Misery: Maternal Depression, Child Investments, and the Neurobiological Poverty Trap, Macroeconomic Dynamics, 2019, Vol. 23(2), 522-534. [paper]

Desire and Development, Macroeconomic Dynamics, 2019, Vol. 23, 2717-2747. [paper]

Trade and Productivity: The Family Connection Redux (with Klaus Prettner), Journal of Macroeconomics, 2018, Vol. 56, Pages 276-291. [paper]

Life Expectancy and Education: Evidence from the Cardiovascular Revolution (with Casper Worm Hansen), Journal of Economic Growth, 2017, Vol. 22, 421-450. [paper]

It's a Sin - Contraceptive Use, Religious Beliefs, and Long-Run Economic Development (with Klaus Prettner), Review of Development Economics, 2017, Vol. 21, 543-566. [paper]

Gender Equity and the Escape from Poverty (with Klaus Prettner), Oxford Economic Papers, 2017, Vol. 69, 55-74. [paper]

The Fertility Transition Around the World 1950-2005 (with Sebastian Vollmer), Journal of Population Economics, 2015, Vol. 28, 31-44. [paper]

Declining Fertility and Economic Well-being: Do Education and Health Ride to the Rescue? (with Klaus Prettner and David Bloom), Labour Economics, 2013, Vol. 22, 70-79. [paper]

School Attendance and Child Labor - A Model of Collective Behavior, Journal of the European Economic Asssociation, 2013, Vol. 11, 246-277. [Online Appendix B and C] [paper]

The Long-run Determinants of Fertility: One Century of Demographic Change 1900-1999 (with Dierk Herzer and Sebastian Vollmer), Journal of Economic Growth, 2012, Vol. 17, 357-385. [Open Access Article]

The Voracity Effect Revisited, Mathematical Social Sciences, 2012, Vol. 64, 272-276. [paper]

The Determinants of Income in a Malthusian Equilibrium (with Jacob Weisdorf and Paul Sharp), Journal of Development Economics, 2012, Vol 97, 112-117. [paper]

Poverty, Voracity,and Growth, Journal of Development Economics, 2012, Vol. 97, 396-403. [paper]

A Physiological Foundation for the Nutrition-based Efficiency Wage Model (with Carl Johan Dalgaard), Oxford Economic papers, 2011, Vol. 63, 232-253. [paper]

A Note on Economic Growth with Subsistence Consumption, Macroeconomic Dynamics, 2010, Vol. 14, 763-771. [paper]

Social Composition, Social Conflict, and Economic Development, Economic Journal, 2008, Vol. 118, 1145-1170. [paper]

Geography, Health, and the Pace of Demo-Economic Development, Journal of Development Economics, 2008, Vol. 86, 61-75. [paper]

Social Fractionalization, Endogenous Appropriation Norms, and Economic Development (with Ines Lindner), Economica, 2008, Vol. 75, 244-258. [paper]

Economic Growth and Stagnation with Endogenous Health and Fertility, Journal of Population Economics, 2004, Vol. 17, 433-453. [open access article]

Child Labor, Child Mortality, and Economic Development, Economic Journal, 2004, Vol. 114, 547-568.

Why Not Africa? -- Growth and Welfare Effects of Secure Property Rights (with Ines Lindner), Public Choice, 2004, Vol. 120, 143-167, 2004. [open access article]

Distributive Politics and Economic Growth: The Markovian Stackelberg Solution (with Ines Lindner), Economic Theory, 2004, Vol. 23(2), 439-444. [open access article]

Learning-by-Doing, Population Pressure, and the Theory of Demographic Transition, Journal of Population Economics, 1997, Vol. 10, 285-298. [open access article]


Health and Aging

Measuring Ageing, Chapter 25 in: The Routledge Handbook on the Economics of Ageing, 2023, pp. 455-473. [paper]

Fair Pension Policies with Occupation-Specific Aging (with Volker Grossmann and Johannes Schuenemann), Economic Journal, 2024, forthcoming. [paper]

The Economics of Aging with Infectious and Chronic Diseases (with Volker Grossmann), Economics and Human Biology, 2024, Vol. 52, 101319. [paper]

Life-Cycle Labor Supply and Physiological Aging across Countries (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard and Casper Hansen), PLOS ONE, 2023, Vol. 18(11): e0294952. [open access article]

Corona and the Cross: Religious Affiliation, Church Bans, and Covid Infections (with Slava Yakubenko), German Economic Review, 2023, Vol. 24(3), 271-304. [paper]

Physiological Aging in India: The Role of the Epidemiological Transition (with Astrid Krenz), PLOS ONE, 2023, Vol. 18(7): e0287259. [open access article]

Anticipation of Deteriorating Health and Information Avoidance (with Johannes Schuenemann and Timo Trimborn), Journal of Health Economics, 2023, Vol. 89, 102755. [paper]

Health and Aging before and after Retirement (with Ana Abeliansky), Journal of Population Economics, 2023, Vol. 36, 2825–2855. [open access article]

Hooked on Weight Control: An Economic Theory of Anorexia Nervosa and its Impact on Health and Longevity, Journal of Health Economics, 2023, Vol. 88, 102725. [paper]

Medical Progress and Life Cycle Choices, Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2022, 100415. [paper]

Optimal Demand for Medical and Long-Term Care (with Johannes Schuenemann and Timo Trimborn), Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2022, Vol. 23, 100400. [paper]

Physiological Aging Around the World (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard and Casper Worm Hansen), PLOS ONE, 2022, Vol. 17(6): e0268276. [open access article]

A Health Economic Theory of Occupational Choice, Aging, and Longevity, Journal of Health Economics, 2022, Vol. 82, 102599. [paper]

Social Vulnerability and Aging of Elderly People in the United States (with Ana Abeliansky and Devin Erel), Social Science and Medicine: Population Health, 2021, Vol. 16, 100924. [open access article]

Time-Inconsistent Health Behavior and its Impact on Aging and Longevity (with Katharina Werner), Journal of Health Economics, 2021, Vol. 76, 102440. [paper]

Intertemporal Choice with Health-Dependent Discounting, Mathematical Social Sciences, 2021, Vol. 111, 19-25. [paper]

Fetal Origins – A Life Cycle Model of Health and Aging from Conception to Death (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard and Casper Worm Hansen), Health Economics, 2021, Vol. 30(6), 1276-1290. [open access article]

The Benefits of Remoteness - Digital Mobility Data, Regional Road Infrastructure, and COVID-19 Infections (with Astrid Krenz), German Economic Review, 2021, Vol. 22(3), 257-288. [paper]

Illicit Drugs and the Decline of the Middle Class (with Volker Grossmann), Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2021, Vol. 183, 718-743. [paper]

From Pain Patient to Junkie: An Economic Theory of Painkiller Consumption and its Impact on Wellbeing and Longevity, Journal of Health Economics, 2021, Vol. 76, 102432. [paper]

R&D-Driven Medical Progress, Health Care Costs, and the Future of Human Longevity (with Sebastian Boehm and Volker Grossmann), Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2021, Vol. 18, 100286. [open access article]

Aging in the USA: Similarities and Disparities Across Time and Space (with Ana Abeliansky and Devin Erel), Nature Scientific Reports, 2020 Vol. 10:14309. [open access article]

Negligible Senescence: An Economic Life Cycle Model for the Future (with Davide Dragone), Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2020, Vol. 171, 264-285. [paper]

Opioid Epidemics, Economics and Human Biology, 2020, Vol. 37, 100835. [paper]

The Marriage Gap: Optimal Aging and Death in Partnerships (with Johannes Schuenemann and Timo Trimborn), Review of Economic Dynamics, 2020, Vol. 36, 158-176. [paper]

Season of Birth, Health, and Aging (with Ana Abeliansky), Economics and Human Biology, 2020, Vol. 36, 100812. [paper]

An Economic Theory of Depression and its Impact on Health Behavior and Longevity, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2019, Vol. 158, 269-287. [paper]

Limited Self-Control and Longevity, Health Economics, 2019, Vol. 28, 57-64. [paper] [appendix]

I Shouldn’t Eat this Donut: Self-Control, Body Weight, and Health in a Life Cycle Model, Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2019, Vol. 14, 100175. [paper]

Long-Run Improvements in Human Health: Steady But Unequal (with Ana Abeliansky), Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2019, Vol. 14, 100189. [paper]

The Gender Gap in Mortality: How Much Is Explained by Behavior? (with Johannes Schuenemann and Timo Trimborn), Journal of Health Economics, 2017, Vol. 54, 79-90. [paper]

The Genesis of the Golden Age - Accounting for the Rise in Health and Leisure (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard), Review of Economic Dynamics, 2017, Vol. 24, 132–151. [paper]

Going from Bad to Worse: Adaptation to Poor Health, Health Spending, Longevity, and the Value of Life (with Johannes Schuenemann and Timo Trimborn), Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2017, Vol. 140, 130–146. [paper]

Optimal Social Insurance and Health Inequality (with Volker Grossmann), German Economic Review, 2019, Vol. 20(4), e913-e948. [paper]

Smoking Kills: An Economic Theory of Addiction, Health Deficit Accumulation, and Longevity, Journal of Health Economics, 2018, Vol. 62, 1-12. [paper]

Hyperbolic Discounting Can Be Good For Your Health (with Timo Trimborn), Journal of Economic Psychology, 2018, Vol. 69, 44-57. [paper]

How We Fall Apart: Similarities of Human Aging in 10 European Countries (with Ana Abeliansky), Demography, 2018, Vol. 55, 341–359. [paper] [open access jstor]

Hungry Children Age Faster (with Ana Abeliansky), Economics and Human Biology, 2018, Vol. 29, 211-22. [paper]

The Return to Education in Terms of Wealth and Health, Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2018, Vol. 12, 1-14. [paper]

The Health Hump, Journal of Demographic Economics, 2017, Vol. 83, 245-258 [paper]

50 is the New 30 – Long-run Trends of Schooling and Retirement Explained by Human Aging (with Katharina Werner), Journal of Economic Growth, 2016, Vol. 21, 165-187. [paper]

A Closed-form Solution for the Health Capital Model, Journal of Demographic Economics, 2015, Vol. 81(3), 301-316. [paper (long version) ]

Frailty, Mortality, and the Demand for Medical Care, Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2015, Vol. 6, 5-12 . [paper]

Optimal Aging and Death: Understanding the Preston Curve (with Carl-Johan Dalgaard), Journal of the European Economic Association, 2014, Vol. 12, 672–701. [paper]

Patterns of Frailty in Older Adults (with Ken Harttgen, Somnath Chatterji, Paul Kowal, and Sebastian Vollmer), PLOS ONE, 2013, Vol. 8 (10). [Open Access Article]

Long-Run Trends of Human Aging and Longevity (with Sebastian Vollmer), Journal of Population Economics, 2013, Vol. 26, 1303-1323. [Open Access Article]


Environmental Economics

Renewable Resource Use with Imperfect Self-Control (with Katharina Werner), Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2023, Vol. 212, 778-795. [paper]

Hyperbolic Discounting and the Time-Consistent Solution of Three Canonical Environmental Problems, Journal of Public Economic Theory, 2021; Vol. 23(3), 462-486. [open access article]

Natural Disasters and Macroeconomic Performance (with Timo Trimborn), Environmental and Resource Economics, 2019, Vol. 72(4), 1069-1098 [paper]

Energy Distribution and Economic Growth (with Carl Johan Dalgaard), Resource and Energy Economics, 2011, Vol. 33, 782-797. [paper]


Other Macro and Public Economics

The Spending Multiplier in the Medium Run (with Timo Trimborn), German Economic Review, 2017, Vol. 8, 154-181 [paper]

A Note on Variable Capital Utilization in Growth and Business Cycle Theory (with Timo Trimborn), Macroeconomic Dynamics, 2015, Vol. 19, 1622-1632. [paper]

Preferences, Income, and Life Satisfaction: An Equivalence Result, Mathematical Social Sciences, 2015, Vol. 75, 20-26. [paper]

Laffer Strikes Again: Dynamic Scoring of Capital Taxes (with Timo Trimborn), European Economic Review, 2012, Vol. 56 ,1180-1199. [paper]

Anticipated Tax Reforms and Temporary Tax Cuts: A General Equilibrium Analysis (with Timo Trimborn), Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 2010, Vol. 34, 2141-2158. [paper].

Should Continued Family Firms Face Lower Taxes Than Other Estates? (with Volker Grossmann), Journal of Public Economics, 2010, Vol. 94, 81-101.[paper].

The Credit Channel of Capital Tax Policy, Journal of Public Economic Theory, 2008, Vol. 10, 717-742. [paper]

A Distributional Theory of Government Growth, Public Choice, 2007, Vol. 132, 305-318. [paper]

Taxation, Growth, and Welfare: Dynamic Effects of Estonia´s 2000 Income Tax Act (with Michael Funke), Finish Economic papers, 2006, Vol. 19, 25-38.

Growth and Convergence in a Two-Region Model: The Hypothetical Case of Korean Unification (with Michael Funke), Journal of Asian Economics, 2005,Vol.16, 255-279. [paper]

A Simple and Intuitive Method to Solve Small Rational Expectations Models (with Martin Brunner), Journal of Economics, 2004, Vol. 82, 71-88. [open access article]

Solving Rational Expectations Models Using Excel, Journal of Economic Education, 2004, Vol. 35, 269-283. [paper]

Capital Tax Reform, Corporate Finance, and Economic Growth and Welfare, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 2003, Vol. 28, 595-615.

Solution of Perfect Foresight Saddlepoint Problems: A Simple Method and Applications (with Martin Brunner), Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 2002, Vol. 26, 737-753.

Fiscal Policy Reforms in a Global Economy, International Tax and Public Finance, 2002, Vol. 9, 71-89. [open access article]

Growth and Convergence in a Two-Region Model of Unified Germany (with Michael Funke), German Economic Review, 2000, Vol. 1, 363-384. [open access article]

Solution of Perfect Foresight Saddlepoint Problems: A Simple Method and Applications (with Martin Brunner), Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 2002, Vol. 26, 737-753.

Growth and Convergence in a Two-Region Model of Unified Germany (with Michael Funke), German Economic Review, 2000, Vol. 1, 363-384. [open access article]


Religion and Social Norms

Corona and the Cross: Religious Affiliation, Church Bans, and Covid Infections (with Slava Yakubenko), German Economic Review, 2023, forthcoming. [paper]

Religiosity and Long-Run Productivity Growth (with Dierk Herzer), Journal of Economics, Management and Religion, 2020, Vol. 1(1), 2050001. [paper]

Religiosity and Income: A Panel Cointegration and Causality Analysis (with Dierk Herzer), Applied Economics, 2017, Vol. 49(30), 2922-2938. [paper]

An Economic Theory of Religious Belief, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2016, Vol. 128, 35–46. [paper]

Secularization and Long-Run Economic Growth, Economic Inquiry, 2016, Vol. 54, 177-200. [paper]

How Status Concerns Can Make Us Rich and Happy, Economica, 2015, Vol. 82, 1217–1240. [paper]

A Mass Phenomenon: The Social Evolution of Obesity, Journal of Health Economics, 2014, 33, 113-125. [paper]

School Attendance and Child Labor - A Model of Collective Behavior, Journal of the European Economic Asssociation, 2013, Vol. 11, 246-277. [Online Appendix B and C] [paper]

Riding High - Success in Sports and the Rise of Doping Cultures, Scandinavian Journal of Economics 2012, Vol. 114, 539-574. [paper]

Steht auf wenn ihr Deutsche seid! Sozio-ökonomische Erklärungsansätze der neuen Patriotismuswelle anläßlich der Fußball-WM, Jahrbuch fuer Wirtschaftswissenschaften, 2007, Vol. 58, 151-163. [paper]

About Me