Prof. Dr. Mario Mechtel

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, C4.222
Fon +49.4131.677-2636, mario.mechtel@leuphana.de
Professor, Professorship of Economics, in particular Empirical Microeconomics
Associated member, Research Center for Digital Transformation
Associated member, Leuphana Center for Cooperative Security (LCCS)

Table of contents for this page

Vita

Prof. Dr. Mario Mechtel is Professor of Economics, in particular Empirical Microeconomics, at the Institute of Economics (IVWL) and Vice-Dean for Research of the School of Public Affairs at Leuphana University. His research focuses on Applied Microeconomics, Behavioral Economics, Social Identity, Environmental and Sustainability Economics, Digitalization, and Labor and Personnel Economics.

Mario Mechtel is the spokesperson (lead-PI) of the research cluster “Behavioral Economics and Societal Transformation”, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and the Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony.

 Academic Positions

  • Since 11/2018: Professor of Empirical Microeconomics, Leuphana University Lüneburg.
  • 06/2015–11/2018: Assistant Professor of Microeconomics, Leuphana University Lüneburg.
  • 03/2015–05/2015: Visiting scholar, Department of Economics and Business (Markets, Organization and Behaviour Group), Aarhus University.
  • 01/2012–05/2015: Research Associate, Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU) and at the Chair of Personnel Economics, University of Trier.
  • 10/2007–12/2011: Research Associate, Chair of Public Finance, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen.

 Education

  • 10/2007-01/2012: Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, PhD student, Dissertation "Essays on Political Economy and Social Preferences" (summa cum laude)
  • 04/2003-09/2007: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Student in Economics, Degree: Diplom-Volkswirt

 Prizes/Awards (Selected)

  • 2016: Leuphana University Teaching Award
  • 2014: Joseph-A.-Schumpeter-Preis, funded by Deutschen Bundesbank
  • 2014: Best Paper Award: Spring Meeting of Young Economists (SMYE), Vienna

Third-party funding

  • Research Cluster “Behavioral Economics and Societal Transformation“ (spokesperson, proposal submitted jointly with Gerald Eisenkopf, Fabian Paetzel et al.), funding amount €2,435,496, project period 2024-2028
  • DFG individual research grant “Enhancing cooperation and investigating peer effects on human capital formation – A randomized-controlled field study with primary school children” (together with Florian Hett and Daniel Schunk), funding amount €147,900, project period 2017–2020

Editorial positions

  • Co-Editor Journal of Comments and Replications in Economics (JCRE), 2019-2023
  • Guest Editor Special Issue on “Health and Labor Markets” of Schmollers Jahrbuch (with Christian Pfeifer), 2015/2016

Reviewer (Selected)

European Economic Review, Games and Economic Behavior, Journal of Health Economics, Management Science, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (“Outstanding Reviewer”), Labour Economics, Public Choice, European Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Journal of Sports Economics,  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Israel Science Foundation, Czech Science Foundation

For more information, please see: www.mario-mechtel.de

Projects

Publications

Journal contributions

  1. Fading Shooting Stars—The Relative Age Effect, Ability, and Foregone Market Values in German Elite Youth Soccer
    Mario Mechtel (Author) , Lukas Tohoff (Author) , 01.06.2025 , in: Journal of Sports Economics, 26, 5 , p. 499-542 , 44 p.

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

  2. Competition and moral behavior: A meta-analysis of forty-five crowd-sourced experimental designs
    Miguel Abellán-Ossenbach (Author) , Mario Mechtel (Author) , Christoph Huber (Author) , Anna Dreber (Author) , Jürgen Huber (Author) , Magnus Johannesson (Author) , Michael Kirchler (Author) , Utz Weitzel (Author) , Xeniya Adayeva (Author) , Fehime Ceren Ay (Author) , Kai Barron (Author) , Zachariah Berry (Author) , Werner Bönte (Author) , Katharina Brütt (Author) , Muhammed Bulutay (Author) , Pol Campos-Mercade (Author) , Eric Cardella (Author) , Maria Almudena Claassen (Author) , Gert Cornelissen (Author) , Ian G.J. Dawson (Author) , Joyce Delnoij (Author) , Elif E. Demiral (Author) , Eugen Dimant (Author) , Johannes Theodor Doerflinger (Author) , Malte Dold (Author) , Cécile Emery (Author) , Lenka Fiala (Author) , Susann Fiedler (Author) , Eleonora Freddi (Author) , Tilman Fries (Author) , Agata Gasiorowska (Author) , Ulrich Glogowsky (Author) , Paul M Gorny (Author) , Jeremy David Gretton (Author) , Antonia Grohmann (Author) , Sebastian Hafenbrädl (Author) , Michel Handgraaf (Author) , Yaniv Hanoch (Author) , Einav Hart (Author) , Max Hennig (Author) , Stanton Hudja (Author) , Mandy Hütter (Author) , Kyle Hyndman (Author) , Konstantinos Ioannidis (Author) , Ozan Isler (Author) , Sabrina Jeworrek (Author) , Daniel Jolles (Author) , Marie Juanchich (Author) , Raghabendra Pratap Kc (Author) , Menusch Khadjavi (Author) , Tamar Kugler (Author) , Shuwen Li (Author) , Brian Lucas (Author) , Vincent Mak (Author) , Christoph Merkle (Author) , Ethan Andrew Meyers (Author) , Johanna Mollerstrom (Author) , Alexander Nesterov (Author) , Levent Neyse (Author) , Petra Nieken (Author) , Anne Marie Nussberger (Author) , Helena Palumbo (Author) , Kim Peters (Author) , Angelo Pirrone (Author) , Xiangdong Qin (Author) , Rima Maria Rahal (Author) , Holger Rau (Author) , Johannes Rincke (Author) , Piero Ronzani (Author) , Yefim Roth (Author) , Ali Seyhun Saral (Author) , Jan Schmitz (Author) , Florian Schneider (Author) , Arthur Schram (Author) , Simeon Schudy (Author) , Maurice E. Schweitzer (Author) , Christiane Schwieren (Author) , Irene Scopelliti (Author) , Miroslav Sirota (Author) , Joep Sonnemans (Author) , Ivan Soraperra (Author) , Lisa Spantig (Author) , Ivo Steimanis (Author) , Janina Steinmetz (Author) , Sigrid Suetens (Author) , Andriana Theodoropoulou (Author) , Diemo Urbig (Author) , Tobias Vorlaufer (Author) , Joschka Waibel (Author) , Daniel Woods (Author) , Ofir Yakobi (Author) , Onurcan Yilmaz (Author) , Tomasz Zaleskiewicz (Author) , Stefan Zeisberger (Author) , Felix Holzmeister (Author) , 06.06.2023 , in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), 120, 23 , 26 p.

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

  3. Distributional effects of carbon pricing by transport fuel taxation
    Mario Mechtel (Author) , Leif Jacobs (Author) , Lara Quack (Author) , 01.10.2022 , in: Energy Economics, 114

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research

  4. Do Nonprofessional Investors Value the Assurance of Integrated Reports?: Exploratory Evidence
    Jannik Gerwanski (Author) , Patrick Velte (Author) , Mario Mechtel (Author) , 01.02.2022 , in: European Management Journal, 40, 1 , p. 103-126 , 24 p.

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

  5. Smartphone bans and workplace performance
    Mario Mechtel (Author) , Adrian Chadi (Author) , Vanessa Mertins (Author) , 01.02.2022 , in: Experimental Economics, 25, 1 , p. 287-317 , 31 p.

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

View all publications

Activities

Press / Media

  1. So sehr beeinflussen die Berufsangaben auf Stimmzetteln die Wähler
    Interviewed once

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  2. F.A.Z.-IFO-Ökonomenpanel - 100 Tage: Ökonomen geben der Regierung schlechte Noten
    1 time cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  3. Torjäger zum Sonderpreis - Torjägerinnen allerdings nicht
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  4. Fußball-Vereine vergeuden Millionen beim Nachwuchs
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  5. Falsches Nachwuchs-Scouting: Millionen-Verlust auch bei St. Pauli?
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

View all press/media coverage

Prizes

  1. Lehrpreis der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
    Mario Mechtel (Recipient) ,

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

View all prizes

Courses

Digitalization
Paul Drews, Stefanie Habersang, David Loschelder, Mario Mechtel, Matthias Werner
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In this course, students are introduced to and discuss opportunities and challenges of digitalization on the organizational level while also considering the individual, society and digital technology. By taking a multidisciplinary perspective, students learn how their own discipline as well as other disciplines seize topics related to digitalization in research. Reports and guest talks about digitalization efforts and use cases for applying digital technologies in practice enrich the understanding of digitalization as a phenomenon of interest. Negative and unintended consequences of digitalization are discussed in order to foster critical reflection of digitalization endeavours and to support responsible management practices in digital transformation activities and projects.
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-04-27 at 16:15
Room: C HS 1
Experimental Methods
Mario Mechtel
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The module provides an introduction to experimental research methods (e.g., laboratory experiments, field experiments). Topics include the role of the experimental method for research in economics and political science, methodological foundations, the design of experiments, and their statistical analysis.

Please see Syllabus for details.
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-04-27 at 10:15
Room: C 12.105 Seminarraum
Master forum
Johannes Lohse, Mario Mechtel, Christian Pfeifer, Florian Unger
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The seminar is designed to help master students write their master thesis by discussing their work with the instructor and other students. Examination requirements are a presentation on the status of the thesis and the submission of a chapter (preliminary version) in written form. During the Master's Forum I, all students presented their master's topic in a poster presentation. In Master Forum II, you will continue your work by presenting your status of work during the seminar, including progress since the end of January. To do this, you are to upload your presentation to MyStudy by 18:00 on the Sunday before your presentation for all to access. Presentation dates you choose via the group function of MyStudy, depending on the number of participants you have the following presentation times: 30 minutes for 2 participants, 20 minutes for 3 participants, and 15 minutes for 4 participants. Furthermore, all participants must upload a (preliminary) main chapter of their paper, presumably on the state of the literature, in the material folder no later than August 31, 24:00. Presentation will be 1/3 of the grade, main chapter 2/3.
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-04-27 at 16:15
Room: C 4.111 Seminarraum
Microeconomic Theory I
Mario Mechtel
⌄
I. Thinking like an economist

II. Consumer theory / consumer behavior
1) Budget constraint
2) Utility maximization
3) Individual and market demand
4) Income and substitution effect
5) Quantification of welfare
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-04-28 at 10:15
Room: C 3.120 Seminarraum
Microeconomics 1 (Economics Minor)
Mario Mechtel
⌄
Pflichtlektüre: Robert H. Frank and Edward Cartwright, Microeconomics and Behavior, London etc.: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. [FC-Kapitel]

Part I: Introduction
1. Introduction [FC1 + Preface]
2. Supply and demand [FC2]

Part II: Theory of consumer behavior
3. Rational consumer choice [FC3]
4. Individual and market demand [FC4]
5. Applications of rational choice and demand theories [FC5]

Part III: Theory of the firm and market structure
6. Production [FC9]
7. Costs [FC10]
8. Perfect competition [FC11]
Next appointment:
Wednesday, 2026-04-29 at 10:15
Room: C HS 4
Microeconomics 2 (Minor Economics)
Mario Mechtel
⌄
(fortgesetzt von Mikroökonomik 1)

Teil 4: Markttheorie
8. Monopol [Frank/Cartwright Kapitel 12]
9. Unvollständiger Wettbewerb [F/C13]

Teil 5: Marktversagen
12. Externe Effekte [F/C16]
13. Öffentliche Güter [F/C17]
14. Asymmetrische Informationen [F/C 6]

Teil 6: Faktormärkte
10. Arbeitsmarkt [F/C14]
11. Kapitalmarkt [F/C15]
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-04-27 at 14:15
Room: C 12.105 Seminarraum
Research Seminar in Economics
Boris Hirsch, Johannes Lohse, Mario Mechtel, Christian Pfeifer, Florian Unger, Joachim Wagner, Thomas Wein
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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, 2026-04-28 at 12:15
Room: C 5.019 Seminarraum