Prof. Christoph H. Stefes, PhD
Senior Associate
Professor (University of Colorado)
- Team
Professor Christoph H. Stefes, PhD is a Senior Associate at Ecologic Institute. His areas of expertise include the politics of renewable energy development in the United States and Germany as well as transatlantic relations concerning climate and environmental politics. Furthermore, he specialises in political and economic developments in the former Soviet Union, the European Neighborhood Policy, energy and environmental politics in the Caspian region and the connection between climate change and international security. Christoph H. Stefes is fluent in German and English, has working knowledge of Dutch and has basic knowledge of French, Russian, and Georgian.
Christoph H. Stefes is an expert on the Caucasian and Central Asian post-Soviet Union states. His research focuses on governance and the detrimental consequences of corruption in this region. Through his research, he has acquired an international reputation for his profound knowledge of the significance of the Caspian region for the European Union’s environmental and energy politics.
In cooperation with Prof. Frank Laird (University of Denver, CO), he analysed the politics of renewable energy development in the United States and Germany. The results of their research have been presented at international conferences and in peer-reviewed articles on both sides of the Atlantic. Their project has also received generous funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Christoph H. Stefes began his academic career as a student of political science and international relations at the University of Tübingen (Germany) and the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). In 1994, he moved on to the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver where he received his MA and PhD in International Studies in 1997 and 2002, respectively. He was subsequently appointed Assistant Professor for Comparative European and Post-Soviet Studies at the University of Colorado (Denver). In 2009, he received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor.
Christoph H. Stefes has authored and edited several publications. The results of his work on the former Soviet Union have been published in numerous books and journal articles. Among his most important publications are "Understanding Post-Soviet Transitions. Corruption, Collusion and Clientelism" (Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) and "The Politics of Transition in Central Asia and the Caucasus - Enduring Legacies and Emerging Challenges" (London and New York: Routledge, 2009).
A comprehensive list of his publications [pdf, 89 KB] can be downloaded.