Bachelor's Thesis
The Department of Economics supervises Bachelor's theses that are thematically related to the research and teaching areas of the department.
A prerequisite for writing a Bachelor's thesis is the completion of the course “Standards of Academic Work and Citation” or “Research Methods”. Completion of economics courses (especially specialization or elective courses) is strongly recommended for writing the Bachelor's thesis (typically the topic selection develops from this).
When writing a Bachelor's thesis, students must prove that they are able to structure a topic independently and deal with it systematically. It is advisable to contact the staff of the department at an early stage in order to ensure a thorough and precise development of the research question.
Specific information from the Department of Economics on the Bachelor's thesis process can be found in the document Ways to Write a Bachelor's Thesis at the Department of Economics. Details on the formal requirements of the thesis are set out in the document Recommendations for the Formal Design of Bachelor's Theses.
These documents are a supplement to the Guidelines for writing a Bachelor's thesis, which are published by WU as general information on writing Bachelor's theses in the Bachelor's program in Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
The WU Fit4Research and Student Support Area pages also provide comprehensive information on literature research and academic work.
Ways to Find a Research Question and a Supervisor
Here you will also find a list of all topics researched at the Department of Economics, sorted by research area.
You contact a course instructor in the context of a course you are attending. These can be, for example, the specialization subjects or electives. However, topics can also be found as part of a CBK course.
You apply for a topic from the department's list of topics below. Please note that not all professors advertise specific topics. In this case, please also complete the application questionnaire.
If you are interested in a specific topic, you can suggest it to the scientist who is researching in this field. As a rule, scientists are happy to supervise Bachelor's theses in their research areas. Supervision by a scientist who does not yet have a doctorate is also possible in principle. However, care must be taken here to ensure that a corresponding agreement is made with a doctoral researcher who is responsible for the overall assessment. Here you will find a list of research areas sorted by researcher by opening the first sub-item “Academic Faculty”. Here you will also find a list of all topics researched at the Department of Economics, sorted by research area. If you choose this route, please also complete the application questionnaire.
If you have any questions about finding a topic for your Bachelor's thesis, you are welcome to get in touch with the relevant contact person in the department (teaching coordinator) or the Center for Students of Economics.
List of Open Topics for a Bachelor thesis
| Econometrics/empirical macroeconomics | Measuring heterogeneous effects of macroeconomic shocks | Macroeconomics and econometrics; ideally “Advanced Macroeconomics” and “Econometrics II” | Michael Pfarrhofer | de/en |
| Econometrics/empirical macroeconomics | Real-time nowcasting and forecasting of GDP growth and inflation | Macroeconomics and econometrics; ideally “Advanced Macroeconomics” and “Econometrics II” | Michael Pfarrhofer | de/en |
| Econometrics/empirical macroeconomics | Long-run trends in macroeconomics and the business cycle | Macroeconomics and econometrics; ideally “Advanced Macroeconomics” and “Econometrics II” | Michael Pfarrhofer | de/en |
| Finanzwissenschaft/kommunale Wirtschaftspolitik | Rolle der Gemeinden für aktuelle wirtschaftspolitische Herausforderungen: Pflegereform | Finanzwissenschaft I | Thomas Kostal | de |
| Finanzwissenschaft/kommunale Wirtschaftspolitik | Rolle der Gemeinden für aktuelle wirtschaftspolitische Herausforderungen: Bildungssektor | Finanzwissenschaft I | Thomas Kostal | de |
| Finanzwissenschaft/kommunale Wirtschaftspolitik | Die Bedeutung von Ausgliederungen für die kommunale Wirtschaftspolitik und die Finanzierung von Gemeinden | Thomas Kostal | de | |
| Internationale Besteuerung | Studierende mögen sich mit einem konkreten Themenvorschlag an den Betreuer wenden. | Martin Zagler | de/en | |
| Italienische und/oder österreichische Wirtschaftspolitik | Studierende mögen sich mit einem konkreten Themenvorschlag an den Betreuer wenden. | Martin Zagler | de/en | |
| Langfristiges Wirtschaftswachstum | Studierende mögen sich mit einem konkreten Themenvorschlag an den Betreuer wenden. | Martin Zagler | de/en | |
| Makroökonomie | Trade effects of bilateral trade agreements | Harald Oberhofer | en | |
| Makroökonomie | Trade policy and the return of geopolitics | Harald Oberhofer | en | |
| Makroökonomie | Empirical determinants of economic growth differences across countries | Ökonometrie Kenntnisse | Jesús Crespo Cuaresma | en |
| Makroökonomie | Forecasting and projecting long-term GDP trends | Ökonometrie Kenntnisse | Jesús Crespo Cuaresma | en |
| Makroökonomie | Estimating Environmental Kuznets Curves | Ökonometrie Kenntnisse | Jesús Crespo Cuaresma | en |
| Makroökonomie | Forecasting Sectoral Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Ökonometrie Kenntnisse | Jesús Crespo Cuaresma | en |
| Makroökonomie | Predicting Migration Flows Across Countries | Ökonometrie Kenntnisse | Jesús Crespo Cuaresma | en |
| Mikroökonomie/Spieltheorie | Spieltheoretische Erklärungsansätze für soziales Verhalten / Game-theoretic explanations for social behavior | erste Kenntnisse aus Spieltheorie | Ulrich Berger | de/en |
| Microeconomics/behavioural economics | Does overconfidence have positive consequences on the labor market? | basic knowledge of game theory | Gerlinde Fellner-Röhling | en |
| Microeconomics/behavioural economics | Transparency of conflict-of-interest in principal agent relationships | basic knowledge of game theory | Gerlinde Fellner-Röhling | en |
| Microeconomics/behavioural economics | Moral licencing in power relations | basic knowledge of game theory | Gerlinde Fellner-Röhling | en |
| Öffentliche Verschuldung | Studierende mögen sich mit einem konkreten Themenvorschlag an den Betreuer wenden. | Martin Zagler | de/en | |
| Ökonometrie/empirische Makroökonomie | Die Messung heterogener Effekte von makroökonomischen Shocks | Makroökonomik und Ökonometrie; idealerweise „Vertiefende Makroökonomik“ und „Ökonometrie II“ | Michael Pfarrhofer | de/en |
| Ökonometrie/empirische Makroökonomie | Prognosen von Wirtschaftswachstum und Inflation in Echtzeit | Makroökonomik und Ökonometrie; idealerweise „Vertiefende Makroökonomik“ und „Ökonometrie II“ | Michael Pfarrhofer | de/en |
| Ökonometrie/empirische Makroökonomie | Langfristige makroökonomische Trends und die Modellierung des Konjunkturzyklus | Makroökonomik und Ökonometrie; idealerweise „Vertiefende Makroökonomik“ und „Ökonometrie II“ | Michael Pfarrhofer | de/en |
Bachelor's Thesis Application
Please fill out the questionnaire below to apply for an advertised topic or to propose your own topic. Please upload a PDF with your current academic record including grades at the end.
* Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).