Arslan Austin MASt M.Sc

The global challenges need global solutions. Therefore, Arslan Austin considers himself to be a global citizen. His experiences working and studying at international universities, intergovernmental organizations, and research institutes have shaped his interests. He has been researching Environmental Innovations and trying to understand why firms may fail to utilize such innovations due to market dynamics - something he calls "A triple helix of market failures." He also actively responds to contemporary research topics such as the pandemic, the rise of artificial intelligence, and connects these topics with the climate change crisis. 

Currently, Austin is an external doctoral researcher at the United Nations University Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology in Maastricht (UNU-MERIT). He is conducting his research with Prof. Dr. René Kemp. At the HSRW, this research is being conducted with Prof. Dr. Torsten Niechoj. 

Since July 2020, Arslan has been a Scientific Researcher at the Faculty of Society and Economics. In September 2022, he became a permanent lecturer at the Faculty of Communication and Environment. Previously, he completed his fundamental studies in Engineering and a Bachelor's in Economics. He finished his Master's degree with distinction from the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena in Evolutionary Innovation Economics. He has an advanced Ph.D. leading degree in Economic Policy (commonly MASt) from the Kiel Institute of World Economics (IFW Kiel). He happily represents his cohort of 2019 as an elected Vice President at the Alumni Network of IFW.

He is happily married and has a daughter.

 

Research work

  • Austin, A., Alataş, S., & Agbonifi, D. (2025). Financing Eco‐Innovation in an Emerging Economy: The Role of Internal Resources, External Support and Government in Turkish SMEs. Sustainable Development.  https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70260
  • Austin, A., Niechoj, T. (2025): Der Beitrag der Wissenschaft zur Umsetzung von Öko-Innovationen, in: Lud et. al, (eds.), Wer rettet die Welt? Transformation gestalten in Zeiten der Polykrise, Baden-Baden: Nomos. doi.org/10.5771/9783748950301
  • Austin, A., Weidner, K., Betz, V. (2025): Meso Matters in the Micro-to-Macro Mix: Quantitative Evaluation of Drivers and Barriers Framework for Resource Efficiency Innovations in European SMEs, Manuscript.
  • Austin, A., Rahman, I. U., & Rana, Z. (2025). Understanding the ability of households to cope with economic shocks: an empirical study of Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 44(1), 80. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-025-00772-y
  • Austin A., (2024). Europeans at Odds with COVID-19 Vaccination? Cross-country Empirical Evidence from EU. Manuscript.
  • Rahman, I. U., Austin, A., & Nelson, N. (2023). Willingness to COVID-19 vaccination: Empirical evidence from EU. Heliyon, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15776
  • Austin, A., & Rahman, I. U. (2022). A triple helix of market failures: Financing the 3Rs of the circular economy in European SMEs. Journal of Cleaner Production, 361, 132284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132284
  • Austin A., (2022). Digital Divide in the age of COVID-19.

Teaching

  • Economics (WS)
  • Statistics (SS)
  • Advanced Statistics (SS)
  • Workshop: Data Analysis and Presentation (WS/SS)
  • Workshop: Scientific Writing (WS/SS)
  • International Relations (SS)
  • Preliminary course: Business Mathematics (WS)

Broad research topics for thesis

  • Environmental Innovation
  • Industrial evolution and firm dynamics due to innovation
  • Radical, Disruptive Innovations and their economic scope and impact
  • Entrepreneurship/self-employment and Regional Development
  • Topics in (New-)Institutional economics
  • Methodological innovations
  • Contemporary economic issues: Artificial Intelligence, transition