Environmental Economics (Prof. Dr. Engel)
Vision und mission
The world is facing urgent environmental challenges. Through research and education, we aim to support the transformation to a more sustainable world. Our research examines the drivers of individual and collective human behavior at the root of environmental problems, and designs and evaluates interventions and institutions to foster more sustainable behavior. In doing so, we combine environmental and behavioral economics, drawing on insights from diverse disciplines. Moreover, we also develop the capacities of actors, including students and young researchers, who can help bring about the transformation to a more sustainable world.
Origin and affiliation
The Department of Environmental Economics was established in 2014 when Prof. Dr. Stefanie Engel was honored with an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, Germany’s highest endowed international research award, granted by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Today we are a vibrant, international, diverse and participatory team, engaging passionately in research and teaching. Our courses are integrated into several bachelor's and master's degree programs at the University of Osnabrück. Additionally, we are part of Osnabrück University’s interdisciplinary Research Center “ Institute of Environmental Systems Research” and the Laboratory for Economic Research.
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Latest publications
Rellensmann, T., Engel, S., Rommel, J., & Thomas, F. (2026). Collective contracts as a risk-sharing mechanism for result-based agri-environmental payments: Experimental evidence. Journal of Agricultural Economics. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.70034
Bernal-Escobar, A., Midler, E., & Engel, S. (2026). Beyond a market discourse: Is framing a solution to avoid motivational crowding out in payments for ecosystem services? Ecosystem Services, 79, 101852. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2026.101852
Thomas, F., Herrmann, R., Loy, J.-P., Salhofer, K., Teuber, R., Banse, M., Berg, E., El Benni, N., Götz, L., Hess, S., & Kantelhardt, J. (2026). Where do agricultural economists publish and how do they assess journal quality? A survey in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. German Journal of Agricultural Economics, 75. https://doi.org/10.52825/gjae.v75i.2725
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Prof. Dr. Stefanie Engel
Environmental Economics
Barbarastraße 12
49076 Osnabrück
Room: 66/E06
Phone: +49 541 969-3339
fax: +49 541 969-2599
stefanie.engel@uni-osnabrueck.de