Thorsten Giertz

Curriculum Vitae

Doctoral Researcher, University of Cologne
Associate Member, Cologne Center for Comparative Politics (CCCP)

hi@thorstengiertz.de · ORCID: 0000-0002-7517-6954

Research interests

Comparative politics; electoral systems; experimental methods; formal modelling; inequality; political economy; open source; rational choice; social choice.

Doctoral studies

2022–present

Doctoral studies, University of Cologne, supervised by Prof. Dr. André Kaiser (Cologne Center for Comparative Politics, CCCP). Dissertation topic: Elections and the creation of inequality.

Education

1999–2002

Diplom in Economics (Volkswirtschaftslehre), University of Cologne; degree broadly equivalent to a Master's degree. Diploma thesis supervised by Prof. Dr. Carl Christian von Weizsäcker.

1997–1998

Study abroad, University of Amsterdam, with coursework in computational economics, experimental economics, environmental economics, and Dutch language.

1994–1997

Undergraduate studies in Economics (Volkswirtschaftslehre), University of Cologne; Vordiplom (intermediate diploma).

Professional experience

2006–2022

CEO, emeneo, Shanghai, China.

2003–2005

Senior Advisor, hartung:consult (now SNP Group), Shanghai, China; vocational training project with Tongji University Shanghai and GIZ.

2001–2003

Scientific staff, Chair of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Leidhold, University of Cologne; ILIAS open-source e-learning project.

2001–2003

External consultant (ILIAS), Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wilfried Hesser.

1999–2001

Student assistant, Chair of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Leidhold, University of Cologne; VIRTUS e-learning project.

Publications

Giertz, Thorsten (forthcoming). Distributive consequences of plurality voting versus proportional representation. Journal of Theoretical Politics.
Großer, Jens and Giertz, Thorsten (2026). Pork barrel politics, voter turnout, and inequality: An experimental study. Games and Economic Behavior, 157:464–479.
Giertz, Thorsten (2010). Evaluating e-learning investments with cost-effectiveness analysis. Learning Solutions Magazine, March 2012.

Working papers

Giertz, Thorsten and Großer, Jens (2026). One-shot inequality and asymptotic equality in Blotto election models: A unified measurement framework. Working paper.
Giertz, Thorsten and Kaiser, André (2026). Majority illusion: Strategic fragmentation in unequal democracies. Working paper.
Giertz, Thorsten and Kaiser, André (2026). Types of democracy, emerging institutions, and inequality: An experimental analysis of Lijphart's democracy framework. Working paper.

Selected presentations

Enterprise e-Learning in China — 10 Years of Experience, Learntec Convention, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2012.
e-Learning supported Vocational Education Instructors Training for China at Tongji University, Germany and China — An Innovative Partnership in IT, Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam, Germany, 2007.
The Economics of Open Source based e-Learning Software in the Public Sector, Third International ILIAS Open Source Conference, Zurich, Switzerland, 2004.
Components of a Successful Open Source e-Learning Strategy for Public Utilities, First Distance Learning Congress, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg, Germany, 2004.
Advantages of a Standard Open Source e-Learning Platform for Higher Education, 1st International ILIAS Conference, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg, Germany, 2002.
An Experimental Investigation of the Polity Game, Annual Meeting of the Public Choice Society and the Economic Science Association, San Antonio, USA, 2001.

Languages

German (native); English (fluent); Dutch (advanced); Chinese (intermediate, HSK 4); French (basic).