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Prof. Dr. Christian Pfeifer

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, C4.204
Fon +49.4131.677-2301, christian.pfeifer@leuphana.de
Professor, Professorship of Economics, Applied Microeconomics

Table of contents for this page

Vita

06/2013-present: Professor, Institute of Economics, Department of Applied Microeconomics, Leuphana University Lüneburg

09/2009-06/2013: Assistant Professor (W1), Institute of Economics, Department of Labour and Personnel Economics, Leuphana University Lüneburg (positive evaluation in 2012)

12/2007-08/2009: Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Labour Economics, Leibniz University Hannover (Prof. P. Puhani) 

09/2008-12/2008:Post-Doc, Department of Economics, University of California Berkeley, USA

2007: Dr. rer. pol. (Ph.D. in Economics), Leibniz University Hannover

10/2003-11/2007: Research Assistant, Institute of Labour Economics (Prof. K. Gerlach, Prof. P. Puhani) and Institute of Economic Policy (Prof. L. Hübl, Prof. W. Meyer), Leibniz University Hannover 

2003: “Diplom-Ökonom” (equivalent to Master in Economics and Management), Leibniz University Hannover

Short CV and publication list (pdf) 

Projects

  1. Beschäftigungshemmnisse älterer Arbeitnehmer
    Christian Pfeifer (Project manager, academic) , Patrick A. Puhani (Project manager, academic) , Knut Gerlach (Project manager, academic)
    →

    Project: Research

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Publications

Books and anthologies

  1. Arbeit und Gerechtigkeit: Entlassungen und Lohnkürzungen im Urteil der Bevölkerung
    Olaf Struck (Author) , Gesine Stephan (Author) , Christoph Köhler (Author) , Alexandra Krause (Author) , Christian Pfeifer (Author) , Tatjana Sohr (Author) , 2006 Wiesbaden , 163 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Collected editions and anthologies › Research

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Journal contributions

  1. Organizational Fairness Perceptions, Employee Representation, and Firm Performance
    Jens Mohrenweiser (Author) , Christian Pfeifer (Author) , 01.01.2026 , in: Industrial Relations , 25 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  2. Loneliness, bad health, and the moderating role of friends: Differences between younger and older individuals in Germany
    Tim Friehe (Author) , Christian Pfeifer (Author) , 01.01.2026 , in: Economics Bulletin, 46, 1 , p. 342-359 , 18 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  3. Unemployment’s Life-Satisfaction Cost and Loneliness
    Tim Friehe (Author) , Christian Pfeifer (Author) , 01.08.2025 , in: Journal of Happiness Studies, 26, 6 , 27 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  4. Editorial: Minimum Wages-Experiences of European Countries
    Matthias Dütsch (Author) , Clemens Ohlert (Author) , Christian Pfeifer (Author) , Conny Wunsch (Author) , 01.01.2025 , in: Jahrbucher fur Nationalokonomie und Statistik, 245, 1-2 , p. 1-5 , 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Other (editorial matter etc.) › Research

  5. Risk tolerance and altruism: evidence on their relationship from Germany
    Tim Friehe (Author) , Christian Pfeifer (Author) , 01.01.2025 , in: Applied Economics Letters , 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

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Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

  1. Vereinbarungen zur Chancengleichheit von Frauen und Männern - Verbreitung und Determinanten in Niedersachsen, West- und Ostdeutschland
    Christian Pfeifer (Author) , Stephanie Krüger (Author) , 01.01.2012 Hannover , p. 99-116 , 18 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research

  2. Explaining Age and Gender Differences in Employment Rates: A Labor Supply Side Perspective
    Christian Pfeifer (Author) , Stephan Humpert (Author) , 01.09.2011 1 ed. , p. 31 , 1 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Published abstract in conference proceedings › Research › peer-review

  3. Ökologische Nachhaltigkeit und Arbeitsmärkte
    Christian Pfeifer (Author) , 01.01.2011 Marburg , p. 227-244 , 18 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research

  4. The effects of training on employee suggestions and promotions in an internal labor market
    Christian Pfeifer (Author) , 01.01.2011 , p. 34 , 1 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Published abstract in conference proceedings › Research › peer-review

  5. Der Einfluss des Jugendsports auf den Bildungs- und Arbeitsmarkterfolg
    Thomas Cornelißen (Author) , Christian Pfeifer (Author) , 01.01.2009 Göttingen , p. 59-68 , 10 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research

View all publications

Activities

  1. Firms’ wage structures, workers’ fairness perceptions, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: Evidence from linked employer-employee data
    Christian Pfeifer (Speaker)
    →

    Activity: Presentations (poster etc.) › Research

  2. Advisory board for UEFA SROI model
    Christian Pfeifer (Consultant)

    Activity: Consultancy ›

  3. Shortening the potential duration of unemployment benefits and labor market outcomes: Evidence from a natural experiment in Germany
    Christian Pfeifer (Speaker)

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  4. Base Salaries, Bonus Payments, and Absenteeism among Managers in a German Company
    Christian Pfeifer (Speaker)
    →

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  5. Intra-firm Wage Dispersion and Cost Coverage of Training: Evidence from German Linked Employer-Employee Data
    Christian Pfeifer (Speaker)
    →

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

View all activities

Press / Media

  1. Beauty and the labor market
    1 time cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  2. Betriebsräte, Tarifverträge, und freiwillige Kündigungen
    1 time cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  3. Neue Beschäftigungsformen
    1 time cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

View all press/media coverage

Prizes

  1. Platz 287 im Handelsblatt-Ranking 2019 für Volkswirte (Lifetime)
    (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

  2. Platz 95 im Handelsblatt-Ranking 2017 für Volkswirte (Forschungsoutput seit 2013)
    (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

  3. Platz 288 im Handelsblatt-Ranking 2017 für Volkswirte (Lifetime)
    (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

  4. 2nd place Leading House Best Paper Award 2013 (Swiss Leading House "Economics of Education") for "Effects of Training on Employee Suggestions and Promotions: Evidence from Personnel Records" in Schmalenbach Business Review (Christian Pfeifer, Simon Janssen, Philip Yang und Uschi Backes-Gellner)
    (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

  5. Best Young Researcher of the Year 2012 der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (3. Platz
    (Recipient) ,

    Prize: Leuphana internal Prize, Scholaships, distinctions, appointments › Research

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Courses

A Guide to Studying Economics
Nadine Bittermann, Christian Pfeifer
This course gives an orientation for the students of the Economics Major. It starts with a brief overview over the course of studies, studying abroad, Master and PhD in Economics, potential jobs, etc. We will further discuss scientific standards and work in the field of economics, which include the structuring of papers, citation styles, literature search, publication outlets and the publication process. To get an impression about the topic diversity in economic research, we will have a short look at Nobel prize winners and other prominent researchers in economics as well as class room discussions. The second part of the course is devoted to an introduction into the statistical software package Stata, to be used in the empirical research projects in the Economics Major. In addition to class room attendance, students are expected to do homework like reading the supplied literature and materials, watching the linked videos, searching research topics, and working with Stata.
Next appointment:
Thursday, 2026-10-15 at 16:15
Room: C 14.006 Seminarraum
Bachelor Thesis Colloquium
Boris Hirsch, Christian Pfeifer
In each academic year, you can register your bachelor thesis at three different dates – mid of April (group 1), end of May (group 2), or end of November (group 3) – and attend the accompanying mandatory bachelor thesis colloquium where you receive feedback about your planned thesis and your progress while working on it. The bachelor thesis colloquium is offered separately for each of the three groups of students and has three sessions. Before attending the first session of the bachelor thesis colloquium you should already have a general idea about the topic of your thesis, prospective supervisors, and the type of thesis you want to write.

For further details on the bachelor thesis and the accompanying bachelor thesis colloquium, refer to the pdf document provided at: https://www.leuphana.de/en/institutes/ivwl/bachelor-theses.html

To pass the colloquium, you have to attend these sessions and provide and present an outline of your thesis (in the second session) and present the preliminary state of your thesis while working on it (in the third session).
Next appointment:
Wednesday, 2026-10-21 at 14:15
Room: C 7.320 Seminarraum
Empirical Economics Seminar
Christian Pfeifer
Since the 1980s, economics has developed more and more into an empirical science. After the first organizational meetings, students have to search for an empirical journal paper which will be presented in class (with additional information and MCs). Hence, students should have a good understanding of economics and econometric methods to present empirical papers from economics. Help will be provided in terms of selecting a paper, structuring the own presentation, and specific questions about econometric methods. Students are expected to attend all presentations.
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-10-13 at 14:15
Room: C 6.317 Seminarraum
Personnel Economics (with integrated exercise class)
Christian Pfeifer
Personnel Economics is a subdiscipline of Labor Economics and Business Economics, in which microeconomic and econometric tools are used to analyze interactions of firms and employees. The field of personnel economics has evolved over the past decades and has received increasing attention at American Business Schools and also in economic research. The lecture is accompanied by an integrated exercise.

Part 0: Introduction

Part 1: External vs. Internal Labor Markets
1.1. External labor markets
1.1.1. Labor supply model
1.1.2. Labor demand model
1.1.3. Equilibrium market wage and employment
1.1.4. Compensating wage differentials
1.2. Internal labor markets and long-term employment relationships
1.2.1. Insurance model
1.2.2. Transaction costs
1.2.3. Human capital theory
1.3. Q&A, Exercises, Discussion

Part 2: Managing Turnover
2.1. Recruitment of employees
2.1.1. Selection
2.1.2. Raiding
2.2. Exits of employees
2.2.1. Quits
2.2.2. Layoffs
2.3. Labor flexibility
2.3.1. Dynamic labor demand and adjustment costs
2.3.2. Temporary workforce
2.3.3. Working time flexibility
2.4. Efficient allocation of employees (Internal labor turnover)
2.5. Q&A, Exercises, Discussion

Part 3: Managing Worker Codetermination
3.1. Works councils and codetermination
3.1.1. Communication between workers and management
3.1.2. Optimal level of codetermination
3.1.3. Empirical effects of works councils
3.2. Unions and collective contracts
3.2.1. Union organization and importance across countries
3.2.2. Monopoly union wage setting and employment
3.2.3. Efficient wage bargaining and employment
3.3. Q&A, Exercises, Discussion

Part 4: Managing Motivation and Remuneration
4.1. Agency theory and the need for incentives
4.1.1. Different objective functions and information asymmetries
4.1.2. Forms of principal-agency relationships
4.2. Time rates and efficiency wage theories
4.2.1. Input based remuneration
4.2.2. Labor as efficiency units
4.2.3. Non-shirking efficiency wage model
4.2.4. Turnover cost efficiency wage model
4.2.5. Adverse selection efficiency wage model
4.2.6. Fairness efficiency wage model
4.3. Piece rates and performance pay
4.3.1. Output based remuneration
4.3.2. Worker’s choice of work effort under piece rates
4.3.3. Problems in performance pay schemes
4.3.4. Design and effects of MBO bonus payments
4.4. Promotions and tournament theory
4.4.1. Wage hierarchies and promotion tournaments
4.4.2. Worker’s choice of work effort in tournaments
4.4.3. Problems in promotion tournaments
4.5. Seniority and deferred compensation schemes
4.5.1. Upward sloping wage-tenure profiles
4.5.2. Deferred compensation model
4.5.3. Problems and applications
4.6. Q&A, Exercises, Discussion

Borjas, G.J. (2010), Labor Economics, 5th edition, McGraw-Hill [B:Chapter].
Lazear, E.P., Gibbs, M. (2009), Personnel Economics in Practice, 2nd edition, Wiley & Sons [LG:Chapter].
Next appointment:
Wednesday, 2026-10-14 at 10:15
Room: C 5.326 (ICAM)
Replication Studies in Economics (and related empirical social science)
Christian Pfeifer
Good empirical research in science, including Economics and other social sciences, should be replicable. Replication studies usually focus on the robustness of empirical findings. They should not be too narrow and rather scientific than pure replications, i.e., they can use (a) different methods and same data or (b) same methods and different data (different time or different population); but no pure reproductions (same method and same data). Typically, such replications can be research notes. The authors usually start by briefly stating literature, theory, methods, data, and findings of the replicated paper, before starting the own replication, and finishing with a comparison of the results as well as a short discussion. Students select a replicable journal paper and conduct an own replication study.

After the first meetings, in which students are introduced to replications (focus on economics) and the organization of the course, students have to search for an empirical journal paper (ranked in Scopus or SSCI), which can be replicated. To be replicable, a selected paper should ideally have stored the statistical files (and sometimes even the data) on the journal homepage (or related repositories). These papers are shortly verbally discussed in the class to check their fit for a replication. Then students conduct their own empirical replication study for their selected journal paper, which will be presented in class.
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-10-13 at 16:15
Room: C 6.320 Seminarraum
Research Seminar in Economics
Boris Hirsch, Johannes Lohse, Mario Mechtel, Christian Pfeifer, Florian Unger, Joachim Wagner, Thomas Wein
Vorträge zu laufenden Forschungsarbeiten von Promovierenden und Wissenschaftlern des Instituts sowie von auswärtigen Gästen.

Die Referenten sollten möglichst min. eine Woche vor dem Vortrag ihr Papier an Boris Hirsch schicken, der es dann für alle Teilnehmer zugänglich in MyStudy hochladen wird. Hierdurch sollen tiefergehende Diskussionen der Papiere ermöglicht werden.

* im Seminarplan: Externe Gäste, mit denen wir vermutlich am Dienstagabend Essen gehen werden, wozu alle Interessierten gerne mitkommen können (Info bei Boris Hirsch).
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-10-13 at 12:15
Room: C 6.320 Seminarraum
Theory and Empirics of Wage Structures (Stata)
Christian Pfeifer
This course gives students the chance to conduct own empirical research with real microdata by using their prior knowledge from courses in the Economics Major (e.g., Microeconomics, Labor Economics, Orientation in Economics, Econometrics). It starts with a brief introduction and overview of relevant theories from labor economics including human capital theory and discrimination theories. The course further comprises a short introduction to applied econometrics, earnings functions, and Stata applications for estimating earnings functions using the VSE data set. Students also have to work at home through textbook Stata commands and applications and should estimate earnings functions on their own using the supplied VSE. The second part of the course is devoted to own empirical research of students, in which they can choose own topics when estimating earnings functions with Stata. Students have to give a short presentation of their own research idea, write an own empirical paper, and give a final presentation with their results. These three assignments will be graded in the combined examination.
Next appointment:
Thursday, 2026-10-15 at 12:15
Room: C 6.317 Seminarraum