Welcome to the Website of the Professorship of Macroeconomics
Subject and Aims of the Discipline
Macroeconomics deals with economy-wide issues such as unemployment, inflation, inequality, business cycles, growth and the development of economies, as well as their causes and consequences. The Professorship focuses in particular on the role of public institutions, such as fiscal and monetary policy, as well as private consumption and investment decisions, and their effects on employment, distribution, growth and sustainability.
News
14.10.2026 - Exam Reviews at the Professorship
Please note that the exam reviews for all exams of the summer semester 2026 will take place on Monday, 19 October 2026, from 10:30 to 11:30 in room 310, Thüringer Weg 7.
Prior registration is not required.
05.10.2026 - Blog Post by Prof. Gechert on the MAER-Net Colloquium 2026
01.10.2026 - Review: International MAER-Net Colloquium 2026 at Chemnitz University of Technology
The international MAER-Net Colloquium 2026 took place from 23 to 25 September 2026.
Researchers from the fields of meta-analysis, replication research and open science discussed current developments – Founders’ Medal awarded to Prof. Dr. Anna Dreber Almenberg
01.09.2026 - Leading International Meta-Analysis Research Comes to Chemnitz University of Technology
From 23 to 25 September 2026, the international MAER-Net Colloquium 2026 will bring leading researchers from all over the world to Chemnitz.
The focus: current research and new perspectives on meta-analyses and evidence-based science.
We are looking forward to three days full of international exchange, exciting insights and academic networking!
22.07.2026 - Expertise in Demand for the Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Gechert was an expert witness at a hearing of the Corona Enquete Commission of the German Bundestag. He can be heard in the interview from minute 18:45 and from minute 51:00.
03.07.2026 - Prof. Gechert on the Selection Committee of the Joachim Herz Foundation
| Prof. Sebastian Gechert was a member of the selection committee for the renowned Add-On Fellowship of the Joachim Herz Foundation in the field of economics. It was a great pleasure to meet, together with the committee, many impressive candidates from universities all over Germany and to help select the next generation of dedicated female economists. Many thanks to the Joachim Herz Foundation for the inspiring exchange and the trust placed in us! |  |
01.06.2026 - On Monday, 01.06.2026, the lecture Macroeconomics 2 (Prof. Gechert) will be dedicated to the nationwide action week "Science against Fascism".
The background of the action week is the concrete threat of restrictions on the freedom of research and teaching by right-wing extremist and authoritarian forces. From a political economy perspective, we want to examine to what extent there is a trade-off between sustainable public finances, public services and democratic stability. This relates to Part V of our lecture on monetary and fiscal policy, which we are therefore bringing forward. The lecture will be enriched by guest talks from Fiscal Future e. V. and the student group Plurale Ökonomik (Pluralist Economics) and is intended to be interactive. You are cordially invited!
Monday, 01.06.2026, 13:45 - 15:15, room C10.111 (Central Lecture Hall and Seminar Building, Reichenhainer Straße 90)
29.05.2026 - Prof. Gechert on the Podcast "Wirtschaft im Loop"
In the podcast "Wirtschaft im Loop", Prof. Dr. Sebastian Gechert talks with Mary Abdelaziz-Ditzow about why wealth in Germany is so unequally distributed, what problems this entails and what can be done about it. The interview starts at minute 7:21.
26.01.2026 - Interview with Dr. Prante in the Open Science Magazine
Dr. Franz Prante recently shared his experiences with open science and the pre-registration of meta-analyses with the Open Science Magazine of the ZBW. Many thanks to Dr. Doreen Siegfried for the exciting questions and the pleasant conversation!
04.12.2025 - Visiting Professorship of Sebastian Gechert at the University of Salerno
| During his research stay at the Department of Economics and Statistics (DISES) in autumn 2025, Prof. Sebastian Gechert made a lasting contribution to academic collaboration and exchange within the department. He presented current research on public finance, actively participated in seminar discussions and provided valuable input for ongoing projects. A particular highlight was his participation in the international Macroeconometrics workshop in Salerno, where his talk on the effects of monetary policy attracted great interest among renowned researchers. In addition, Prof. Gechert taught a full-day PhD course on meta-analysis, which conveyed practical methods and offered insights into the latest developments. Beyond the official programme, he also opened his office for conversations with young researchers. In joint meetings, concrete ideas for future cooperation between DISES and Chemnitz University of Technology were developed. His stay thus strengthened the academic ties between the two institutions in a lasting way. |  |
Photo: Sebastian Gechert
01.12.2025 - Teaching Award for Dr. Bianka Mey
On 27.11.2025, Chemnitz University of Technology presented several awards, honouring outstanding achievements in the areas of studies, teaching, research and transfer as well as social commitment.
This year, Dr. Bianka Mey received the Teaching Award for early-career researchers.
Photo: Steve Conrad
27.11.2025 - SaxFDM Open Data Award
First place at the Open Data Award for a meta-study on monetary policy (research project "MORPEP - Monetary Policy and Energy Prices")
Dr. Franz Prante, Prof. Gechert and their international colleagues were jointly awarded first place in the SaxFDM Open Data Award 2025. The jury praised the exemplary implementation of open science practices and the FAIR principles. Particular emphasis was placed on the meticulous documentation of the procedure, which can serve other research groups as a guide for their own meta-analyses according to open science standards. The study examines the effects of monetary policy on prices, economic activity and employment.
TUCaktuell article of 19.12.2025 (German)
Laudation of the Jury
"This year's first place in the Open Data Award goes to the submission "META-CMP: meta study on the macroeconomic effects of conventional monetary policy" by Franz Prante and Sebastian Gechert of Chemnitz University of Technology, Matthias Enzinger and Philipp Heimberger of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies and Daniel Romero of the Autonomous University of Madrid. In their comprehensive meta-analysis, the team examines the effect of conventional monetary policy on prices, economic activity and employment. The study is exemplary in its implementation of open science practices and the FAIR principles. In addition to the consistent use of persistent identifiers, open file formats and open licences, the entire procedure and every version of the dataset and the R scripts were made available via freely accessible repositories and linked to one another. The data and metadata are therefore findable, accessible and traceable to the highest degree. The centrepiece of this submission, however, is the meticulous documentation of the procedure on GitHub. Beyond describing the working group's own approach, the documentation also provides guidance to other research groups and explains processes or terms that may be unfamiliar to newcomers to meta-analysis. With the help of the documentation and further openly accessible learning materials, the working group provides background knowledge, instructions, tools and best-practice solutions that enable others to carry out meta-analyses according to open science standards themselves. The entire approach is relevant to many disciplines and can be adapted very well. This makes reuse remarkably easy! It is therefore rightly that the project has attracted not only the attention of the European Central Bank but also ours, and it is our well-deserved winner of the Open Data Award. Congratulations!"
29.10.2025 - Review: 29th FMM Conference
This year we were once again very well represented at the 29th FMM Conference in Berlin with our Master Economics delegation. We are very proud that our students were with us and that we could all engage in an exciting exchange on "Gendering Macroeconomics".
19.08.2025 - Deutschlandfunk Kultur - From Bankruptcy Candidate to Model Student? (Interview with Prof. Gechert, from minute 24)
After years of harsh austerity, Greece is experiencing a small economic miracle. The former problem child of the EU is now a model student. Yet people hardly feel the upswing. Rents are expensive, pensions are low, and the infrastructure is dilapidated.
25.06.2025 - In der Wirtschaft - The Podcast on Diversity in Economics - ...and how Fiscal Policy Can Lead to Economic Growth (Interview with Prof. Gechert)
On 28.05.2025, Prof. Gechert was a guest on the podcast "In der Wirtschaft" and was interviewed by Rudolf Faininger and Felix Roll. They talked about the effects of various fiscal policy measures and discussed whether, in the current situation, it makes more sense for the state to cut taxes or to invest more. They also discussed the growth effects that stronger redistribution can have and why investment in rearmament yields less. In addition, Prof. Gechert explained the idea behind meta-analyses.
Have a listen!
12.05.2025 - The Finnish Public Broadcaster (Yle) Interviews Prof. Gechert - Prof. Gechert Doubts Large Self-Financing Effects of Corporate Tax Cuts
The study Gechert and Heimberger (2022) was cited in a memo of the Finnish Ministry of Finance to show that a planned corporate tax cut would bring strong growth and thus largely finance itself. However, the memo cites the uncorrected value from the study. Taking the central result of the study, the growth effects of corporate tax cuts are not noticeably different from zero. Accordingly, the self-financing effects would also be small.
30.04.2025 - Interview with the Finnish Daily Newspaper Kauppalehti - Prof. Gechert
Prof. Gechert was interviewed by the Finnish business newspaper Kauppalehti on the growth effects of the corporate tax cut planned in Finland. His conclusion, based on his review study on the topic: the growth expectations associated with the tax cut are overestimated. The funds would probably be better invested in targeted investment incentives for companies or in education spending.
06.03.2025 - Guest Lecture by Prof. Gechert on 12.03.2025, 11:00 a.m.
On 12.03.2025 at 11:00 a.m., Prof. Gechert will give a guest lecture on "THE GERMAN TAX SYSTEM: STRUCTURE, REVENUES AND DISTRIBUTION" as part of the Chemnitz - Lviv Learning Bridge.
The guest lecture will take place online. All further information can be found in the flyer.
10.02.2025 - Finland Veroareena Tax Conference on 07.02.2025 - Talk by Prof. Gechert
Prof. Gechert gave a talk on the "Relationship between Taxation and Growth" at the conference in Helsinki.
Here you can find the link to his talk.
Here you can find the link to all talks.
Further information on the conference can be found at the following link: Tax Conference.
18.10.2024 - Blog Post by Prof. Gechert
Blog post by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Gechert in "MAKRONOM" based on his recently published article "Debt Sustainability Analysis in Reformed EU Fiscal Rules The Effect of Fiscal Consolidation on Growth and Public Debt Ratios" in the journal Intereconomics
Article Intereconomics - Review of European Economic Policy
06.02.2024 - Podcast "Der Tag" - Topic: Corporate Taxation in Germany
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Gechert speaks in the podcast "Der Tag" on the topic of corporate taxation in Germany; the contribution starts at minute 14:55
14.01.2024 - Science Podcast "TUCscicast"
In the science podcast "TUCscicast", Sebastian Gechert, Professor of Economics and Macroeconomics at Chemnitz University of Technology, and Christian Neuhäuser, Professor of Political Philosophy at TU Dortmund University, talk about various aspects of the topic of wealth
