Rolf Weder is a Professor of International Economics at the University of Basel (Switzerland). His research investigates the effects, driving mechanisms, and challenges of globalization as well as some aspects of the political economy of European integration. In particular, he explores topics such as home-market effects, the implications of the economic and political integration of Switzerland into the EU, the relationship between trade and product variety, the distributional effects of trade on policy-making, the impact of trade on productivity, and the determinants of innovation and R&D locations.

He has also been interested in understanding the relationship between international trade and the environment. He published on the effects of trade in intermediates (based on increasing returns to scale) on the environment, on strategic environmental policy and on the green transition. One of his recent papers studied the consequences of trade in shark fins on heterogeneous shark species, which sparked his current collaboration with Scott Taylor on the “Economics of Extinction”. He published several books, for example, on development policy, the relationship between Switzerland and the EU, Ricardian Trade Theory, De-Industrialization or Swiss Comparative Advantages.

Before becoming a full professor at the University of Basel in 2000, he was a postdoc and lecturer at Simon Fraser University (1991-93) and a visiting professor at the University of British Columbia (1996-98). During his career at the University of Basel, he has been Dean of Studies (2004-15) and Dean (2019-23) of the Faculty of Business and Economics. His teaching focuses on “Principles of Economics”, “Globalization and European Integration”, as well as “Advanced International Trade and Business”, combined with multiple seminars. He is active in making his research and international economics, in general, accessible to a broad audience.

Taylor, M. Scott, and Weder, Rolf (2024). "On the Economics of Extinction and Possible Mass Extinctions." Journal of Economic Perspectives 38, no. 3 (2024): 237-260. Link

Macher, Jeffrey, Rutzer, Christian, and Weder, Rolf (2024). Is there a secular decline in disruptive patents? Correcting for measurement bias. Research Policy, 53(5), 104992. Link.

Taylor, M. S., & Weder, R. (2023). On the Economics of Extinction and Mass Extinctions (No. w31952). National Bureau of Economic Research. Link

Camera, Gabriele, Hohl, Lukas, and Weder, Rolf (2023). "Inequality as a Barrier to Economic Integration? An Experiment". Experimental Economics. Link

Rutzer, Christian und Weder, Rolf (2021). De-Industrialisierung der Schweiz? Fakten, Gründe und Strategien im internationalen Vergleich. Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler Verlag. Link 

Erhardt, Tobias and Weder, Rolf (2020). "Shark Hunting: On the Vulnerability of Resources with Heterogeneous Species". Resource and Energy Eonomics, 61 (August), 1-18. Link

Jones, Ronald W. and Weder, Rolf (2017, Eds). 200 Years of Ricardian Trade Theory. Challenges of Globalization, Cham: Springer International.

Lewrick, Ulf, Mohler, Lukas and Weder, Rolf (2016). "Trade in Variety and Domestic Production: Evidence from U.S. Manufacturing". Canadian Journal of Economics, 49(4), 1631-1657. Link

Weder, Rolf and Spirig, Beat (2008). "To Wait or Not to Wait: Swiss EU-Membership as an Investment Under Uncertainty". Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, 144(1), 85-114. Link

Weder, Rolf and Benarroch, Michael (2006). "Intra-Industry Trade in Intermediates, Pollution and Internationally Increasing Returns". Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 52, 675-689. Link

Weder, Rolf and Schmitt, Nicolas (1998). "Sunk Costs and Cartel Formation: Theory and Application to the Dyestuff Industry". Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 36 (August), 197-220. Link

Weder, Rolf and Dewald, Michael (1996). "Comparative Advantage and Bilateral Foreign Aid Policy". World Development, 24(3), 549-556. Link

Weder, Rolf (1995). "Linking Absolute and Comparative Advantage to Intra-Industry Trade Theory". Review of International Economics, 3(3), 342-354. Link

• 1960 im Appenzellerland geboren und aufgewachsen

• Lizentiat in Ökonomie an der Universität St. Gallen (1984)

• Mitarbeiter im Bereich Planung und Controlling bei Ciba-Geigy AG (1985-1986)

• Assistent bei Prof. Silvio Borner am WWZ der Universität Basel (1987-1991)

• Postdoctoral Fellow und Lecturer, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada (1991-1993)

• Oberassistent am WWZ der Universität Basel (1993-1996)

• Habilitation an der Philosophisch-Historischen Fakultät der Universität Basel (August 1996)

• Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (1996-1998)

• Mitarbeiter in der internen Ausbildung von UBS (UBS Wealth Management Education), 1998-2004 (von 2000 bis 2004 Teilzeitbeschäftigung).

• Ordinarius für Ökonomie und Europäische Integration an der Universität Basel (seit Herbst 2000)

• Studiendekan der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Basel (von  2004 bis Januar 2015)

• Dekan der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Basel (von August 2019 bis July 2023)