Sebastian Blesse joined ZEW’s Research Department "Corporate Taxation and Public Finance" as a researcher in June 2015. His research interests focus on public economics, especially fiscal federalism and regional economics as well as applied econometrics. Moreover, he is currently working on survey data from the Collaborative Research Center SFB 884 "Political Economy of Reforms". Current research projects in the framework of his dissertation, supervised by Prof. Dr. Alfons Weichenrieder, include issues of tax competition, regional growth, and the fiscal impact of mergers of local governments.
Selected Publications
Articles in Refereed Journals
Blesse, Sebastian and Friedrich Heinemann (forthcoming), Citizens' Trade-offs in State Merger Decisions: Evidence from a Randomized Survey Experiment, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
Blesse, Sebastian, Annika Havlik and Friedrich Heinemann (2020), Euro Area Reform Preferences of Central and Eastern European Economic Experts, Empirica, Journal of European Economics. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Friedrich Heinemann, Eckhard Janeba, Pierre Boyer and Anasuya Raj (2019), European Monetary Union reform preferences of French and German parliamentarians, European Union Politics 20 (3), 406-424. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Philipp Dörrenberg and Anna Rauch (2019), Higher taxes on less elastic goods? Evidence from German municipalities, Regional Science and Urban Economics 75, 165-186. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (2019), Merging county administrations – cross-national evidence of fiscal and political effects, Local Government Studies 45 (5), 611-631. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Pierre C. Boyer, Friedrich Heinemann, Eckhard Janeba and Anasuya Raj (2017), Intégration européenne et politiques du marché du travail: Quel consensus entre parlementaires français et allemands?, Revue d’Economie Politique 127 (5), 737-759. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (2017), Was bringen kommunale Gebietsreformen? Kausale Evidenz zu Hoffnungen, Risiken und alternativen Instrumenten, Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik 18(4), 307-324.
Berger, Melissa, Sebastian Blesse, Friedrich Heinemann and Eckhard Janeba (2017), Föderalismuspräferenzen in der deutschen Bevölkerung, Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik 18 (2), 145-158. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Thushyanthan Baskaran (2016), Do municipal mergers reduce costs? Evidence from a German federal state, Regional Science and Urban Economics 59, 54–74. Download
Baskaran, Thushyanthan, Sebastian Blesse, Adi Brender and Yaniv Reingewertz (2016), Revenue decentralization, central oversight and the political budget cycle: Evidence from Israel, European Journal of Political Economy 42, 1-16. Download
Articles in Non-Refereed Journals
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (forthcoming), Kreise gewachsen – Bilanz durchwachsen: Zehn Jahre Kreisgebietsreformen in Sachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt, ifo Dresden berichtet 4, 34-36. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Felix Rösel and Philipp Kerler (2020), Stabile Demokratie in Krisenzeiten: Lokale Corona-Fälle haben bei der bayerischen Kommunalwahl die Wähler nicht abgeschreckt, Ifo Dresden berichtet 3. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (2018), Kreise gewachsen – Bilanz durchwachsen: Zehn Jahre Kreisgebietsreformen in Sachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt, Die Gemeinde 12.
Blesse, Sebastian (2018), Erkenntnisse zur Gestaltung gemeinsamer Fiskalpolitik in Europa, integration 3/2018, 245-255.
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (2018), Gebietsreformen sparen kein Geld, Kommunal 10/2018.
Blesse, Sebastian and Michael Schwartz (2012), Im Fokus: Technologie- und Gründerzentren in Mittel- und Osteuropa, Wirtschaft im Wandel 18, 128-131. Download
Discussion and Working Papers
Blesse, Sebastian and Justus Nover (2020), Landespolitiker befürworten mehr Vergleichbarkeit im föderalen Bildungssystem, ZEW policy brief No. 20-06, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Massimo Bordignon, Pierre Boyer, Piergiorgio Carapella, Friedrich Heinemann, Eckhard Janeba and Anasuya Raj (2020), The future of the European project: survey results from members of national parliaments in France, Italy and Germany, CEPR Discussion Paper 15021. Download
Alpino, Matteo, Zareh Asatryan, Sebastian Blesse and Nils Wehrhöfer (2020), Austerity and Distributional Policy, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 20-028, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Florian Buhlmann and Philipp Dörrenberg (2019), Do People Really Want a Simple Tax System? Evidence on Preferences Towards Income Tax Simplification, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 19-058, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Annika Havlik and Friedrich Heinemann (2019), Euro Area Reform Preferences of Central and Eastern European Economic Experts, EconPol Working Paper 37, München. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Friedrich Heinemann (2019), Citizens’ Trade-offs in State Merger Decisions: Evidence from a Randomized Survey Experiment, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 19-054, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and André Diegmann (2019), Police reorganization and crime: Evidence from police station closures, Working Paper Series German Council of Economic Experts 07/2019. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Massimo Bordignon, Pierre C. Boyer, Piergiorgio Carapella, Friedrich Heinemann, Eckhard Janeba and Anasuya Raj (2019), United We Stand? – Survey of French, German and Italian Parliamentarians on EU and EMU Reforms, ZEW policy brief No. 19-01, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and André Diegmann (2018), Police Reorganization and Crime: Evidence from Police Station Closures, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 18-044, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Philipp Dörrenberg and Anna Rauch (2018), Higher Taxes on Less Elastic Goods? Evidence from German Municipalities, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 18-039, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Roesel (2018), Merging County Administrations – Cross-National Evidence of Fiscal and Political Effects, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 18-031, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (2018), Gebietsreformen: Mehr Risiken als Chancen, Föderalismus-Blog, Institut für Föderalismus. Download
Baskaran, Thushyanthan and Sebastian Blesse (2018), Subnational Border Reforms and Economic Development in Africa, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 18-027, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Pierre Boyer, Friedrich Heinemann, Eckhard Janeba and Anasuya Raj (2018), European Monetary Union reform preferences of French and German parliamentarians, SUERF Policy Notes, Issue 29. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Pierre C. Boyer, Friedrich Heinemann, Eckhard Janeba and Anasuya Raj (2017), European Monetary Union Reform Preferences of French and German Parliamentarians, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 17-059, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (2017), Was bringen kommunale Gebietsreformen? Kausale Evidenz zu Hoffnungen, Risiken und alternativen Instrumenten, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 17-049, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Pierre Boyer, Friedrich Heinemann, Eckhard Janeba and Anasuya Raj (2017), Intégration européenne et politiques du marché du travail: Quel consensus entre parlementaires français et allemands?, CREST Série des Documents de Travail 2017-05. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (2017), Gebietsreformen: Hoffnungen, Risiken und Alternativen, Ifo Working Papier Nr. 234. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Felix Rösel (2017), Größere Kommunen durch Gebietsreformen: Mehr Risiken als Chancen, Ökonomenstimme.org. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Friedrich Heinemann and Eckhard Janeba (2016), Einhaltung der Schuldenbremse und Bewertung von Länderfusionen – Ergebnisse einer Umfrage in allen 16 Landesparlamenten, ZEW policy brief No. 16-06, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Pierre C. Boyer, Friedrich Heinemann and Eckhard Janeba (2016), Searching for a Franco-German Consensus on the Future of Europe – Survey Results for Bundestag, Assemblée Nationale and Sénat, ZEW policy brief No. 16-05, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Thushyanthan Baskaran (2016), Do Municipal Mergers Reduce Costs? Evidence from a German Federal State, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 16-041, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Thorsten Martin (2015), Let's Stay in Touch - Evidence on the Role of Social Learning in Local Tax Interactions, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 15-081, Mannheim. Download
Baskaran, Thushyanthan, Sebastian Blesse, Adi Brender and Yaniv Reingewertz (2015), Revenue Decentralization, Central Oversight and the Political Budget Cycle: Evidence from Israel, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 15-046, Mannheim. Download
Blesse, Sebastian, Thushyanthan Baskaran, Yaniv Reingewertz and Adi Brender (2015), Revenue decentralization, central oversight and the political budget cycle: Evidence from Israel, Cege Discussion Paper Series ISSN: 1439-2305 Number 249 , Göttingen. Download
Blesse, Sebastian and Thushyanthan Baskaran (2014), Do municipal mergers reduce costs? Evidence from a German federal state, Cege Discussion Paper Series Number 176 Göttingen. Download
Expertises
Blesse, Sebastian, Annika Havlik and Friedrich Heinemann (2019), Searching for a Euro Reform Consensus: The Perspective from Central and Eastern Europe, Brigitte Strube Stiftung, Mannheim. Download
Projects
Current Projects
- Project Duration 01.09.2020 - 31.07.2021The preference for simple economic policies – Causes and Remedies
- Project Duration 01.01.2020 - 31.12.2021Why Do Firms (Not) Bid on Government Tenders?
- Project Duration 31.12.2017 - 31.12.2021Fiscal Institutions and Reform Preferences
Finished Projects
- Project Duration 01.01.2019 - 30.11.2019MannheimTaxation Preferences for tax simplification - Evidence from survey experiments
- Project Duration 01.10.2018 - 30.09.2019Understanding Public Attitudes and Political Preferences in the Context of Automatization of the Labor Force
- Project Duration 01.08.2018 - 30.07.2019Who Pays for Fiscal Rules? Evidence From Italian Municipalities
- Project Duration 17.04.2018 - 30.06.2019Development of a model for the Euro reform debate
- Project Duration 01.08.2017 - 31.07.2018Intergenerational Mobility and Redistribution: Survey Evidence from German Politicians
- Project Duration 01.06.2017 - 30.09.2018Determinants of monetary policy in German and French national parliaments
- Project Duration 01.05.2017 - 31.12.2018Administrative Border Changes and Economic Growth: Global Evidence
- Project Duration 01.01.2010 - 31.12.2017The International Context of Tax and Public Sector Reform Decisions
Events
Expert Seminars
More Information
External Activities as Contributor
- 10.2018: Kommunale Gebietsreformen auf dem Prüfstand
- 8.2017: Aktuelle Herausforderungen für Europa
Research Stays
- 09. - 10.2018 VATT Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Organisation of Academic Conferences and Workshops
-
Prof. Dr. Friedrich Heinemann,
Annika Havlik,
Carina Neisser,
Carina Neisser,
Sebastian Blesse,
ZEW Summer Workshop,
21st ZEW Summer Workshop for Young Economists: Advances in Empirical Public Economics,
ZEW Mannheim, Germany, 2019 -
Sebastian Blesse,
Conference,
2018 ZEW Public Finance Conference: The Future of Fiscal Coordination in Europe,
Mannheim, Germany, 2018 -
Sebastian Blesse,
Workshop,
Geodata and Economics,
Braunschweig, Germany, 2018 -
Emmy Lindstam, Philipp Dörrenberg, Friedrich Heinemann,
Sebastian Blesse,
Workshop,
Workshop on Understanding Policy Preferences using Experimental Methods,
University of Mannheim, Germany, 2018
-
Prof. Dr. Friedrich Heinemann,
Annika Havlik,
Carina Neisser,
Carina Neisser,
Sebastian Blesse,
ZEW Summer Workshop,
21st ZEW Summer Workshop for Young Economists: Advances in Empirical Public Economics,
Referee-Reports for Scientific Journals, Public Trusts etc.
- 01.2020: Zeitschrift "Papers in Regional Science"
- 02.2020: Zeitschrift "Regional Science and Urban Economics"
- 03.2020: Zeitschrift "Journal of Evolutionary Economics"
- 06.2020: Zeitschrift "The B.E. Journals in Economic Analysis & Policy"
- 10.2019: Zeitschrift "Applied Economics"
- 05.2019: Zeitschrift "Eastern European Economics"
- 05.2019: Zeitschrift "European Journal of Political Economy"
- 07.2018: Zeitschrift "International Tax and Public Finance"
- 02.2018: Zeitschrift "Local Government Studies"
- 02.2018: Zeitschrift "German Economic Review"
- 03.2018: Zeitschrift "Journal of Urban Economics"
- 09.2017: Zeitschrift "Local government studies"
- 05.2017: Zeitschrift "Public Finance Review"
- 09.2017: Zeitschrift "Publius: The Journal of Federalism"
- 07.2017: Zeitschrift "Public Finance and Management"
- 05.2016: Zeitschrift "Economic Inquiry"
- 06.2016: Zeitschrift "Regional Science and Urban Economics"
- 11.2015: Zeitschrift "FinanzArchiv"
Other Assessoring and Advisory Activities (also in the scope of a membership)
-
2017 - until now:
Gutachter,
Spring Meeting of Young Economists 2018, Palma de Mallorca, Spain -
2016:
Sonstige,
European Association of Young Economists (EAYE), Frankfurt am Main, Germany -
2019 - until now:
Gutachter,
Spring Meeting of Young Economists 2019, Brussels, Belgium -
2018 - until now:
Berater,
Yes - Young Economist Summit, Mannheim, Germany -
2017:
Berater,
Yes - Young Economist Summit, Mannheim, Germany
-
2017 - until now:
Gutachter,
Department
Corporate Taxation and Public Finance
Function
Researcher
Prices, Awards and Distinctions
- 2018: Preis für Föderalismus- und Regionalforschung, Institut für Föderalismus, Innsbruck, Austria
Memberships
- 2018 - until now: American Economic Association (AEA), Nashville, United States of America (USA)
- 2018 - until now: International Institute of Public Finance (IIPF), Munich, Germany
- 2018 - 2019: European Economic Association (EEA), Milan, Italy
- 2015 - until now: German Economic Association (Verein für Socialpolitik), Berlin, Germany
