World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Thomas Bernauer

Thomas Bernauer

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Political Science
Switzerland
2026
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Law and Political Science
Switzerland
2022

D-Index & Metrics

Political Science

D-Index
65
Citations
12812
World Ranking
84
National Ranking
1

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Political Science in Switzerland Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Political Science in Switzerland Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Political Science in Switzerland Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Law and Political Science in Switzerland Leader Award

Overview

Thomas Bernauer is affiliated with ETH Zurich in Switzerland and has an extensive publication record in fields related to political science, economics, and environmental policy. Their scholarly work spans several domains including climate change policy, environmental sustainability in business, and energy-related policies.

The scientist's main subfields of study include Economics and Econometrics, Sociology and Political Science, Marketing, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, and Political Science and International Relations.

Bernauer's research covers a variety of topics, notably:

  • Climate Change Policy and Economics
  • Environmental Sustainability in Business
  • Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies
  • Economic and Environmental Valuation
  • Environmental Education and Sustainability
  • Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure
  • Energy, Environment, Economic Growth

The scientist has contributed to numerous papers, some of the recent publications include:

  • International conflict and cooperation over freshwater resources, 2020, Nature Sustainability
  • What We Know (and Could Know) About International Environmental Agreements, 2020, Global Environmental Politics
  • Policy packaging can make food system transformation feasible, 2020, Nature Food
  • Are policymakers responsive to public demand in climate politics?, 2021, Journal of Public Policy
  • Political populism, responsiveness, and public support for climate mitigation, 2020, Climate Policy

Frequent collaborators in their research include Detlef Jahn, Sylvia Kritzinger, Patrick M. Kuhn, Stefanie Walter, and Dennis Kolcava.

Bernauer's work has appeared in multiple publication venues, with a notable volume of publications in:

  • Harvard Dataverse
  • Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
  • Environmental Research Letters

In addition to journal articles and conference papers, Bernauer has authored books published by Nomos, including two editions of "Einführung in die Politikwissenschaft" (2022 and 2025).

Best Publications

  • National Institutions and Global Public Goods: Are Democracies More Cooperative in Climate Change Policy?

    Michèle B. Bättig;Thomas Bernauer

  • Effects of political institutions on air quality

    Thomas Bernauer;Vally Koubi;Vally Koubi

  • The effect of international environmental institutions: how we might learn more

    Thomas Bernauer

  • One effect to rule them all? A comment on climate and conflict

    H. Buhaug;H. Buhaug;J. Nordkvelle;T. Bernauer;T. Böhmelt

  • Climate Change Politics

    Thomas Bernauer

  • Explaining success and failure in international river management

    Thomas Bernauer

  • Climate variability, economic growth, and civil conflict

    Vally Koubi;Thomas Bernauer;Anna Kalbhenn;Gabriele Spilker

  • Climate change and international water conflict in Central Asia

    Thomas Bernauer;Tobias Siegfried

  • Environmental changes and violent conflict

    Thomas Bernauer;Tobias Böhmelt;Vally Koubi;Vally Koubi

  • Will climate change exacerbate water stress in Central Asia

    Tobias Siegfried;Thomas Bernauer;Renaud Guiennet;Scott Sellars

  • Explaining Green Innovation: Ten Years after Porter's Win-Win Proposition: How to Study the Effects of Regulation on Corporate Environmental Innovation?

    Thomas Bernauer;Stéphanie Engels;Daniel Kammerer;Jazmin Seijas

  • Simple reframing unlikely to boost public support for climate policy

    Thomas Bernauer;Liam F. McGrath

  • Do natural resources matter for interstate and intrastate armed conflict

    Vally Koubi;Gabriele Spilker;Tobias Böhmelt;Thomas Bernauer

  • Effects of civil society involvement on popular legitimacy of global environmental governance

    Thomas Bernauer;Robert Gampfer

  • A Comparison of International and Domestic Sources of Global Governance Dynamics

    Thomas Bernauer;Anna Kalbhenn;Vally Koubi;Gabriele Spilker

  • Technological revolution meets policy and the market: Explaining cross‐national differences in agricultural biotechnology regulation

    Thomas Bernauer;Erika Meins

  • In Whose Interest? Pressure Group Politics, Economic Competition and Environmental Regulation

    Thomas Bernauer;Ladina Caduff

  • Stakeholder attitudes toward GMOs in the Philippines, Mexico, and South Africa: The issue of public trust

    Philipp Aerni;Thomas Bernauer

  • Genes, Trade, and Regulation: The Seeds of Conflict in Food Biotechnology

    Thomas Bernauer

  • Explaining government choices for promoting renewable energy

    Lena Maria Schaffer;Thomas Bernauer

  • Environmental Stressors and Migration: Evidence from Vietnam

    Vally Koubi;Vally Koubi;Gabriele Spilker;Lena Schaffer;Thomas Bernauer

  • International conflict and cooperation over freshwater resources

    Thomas Bernauer;Tobias Böhmelt

  • Could revenue recycling make effective carbon taxation politically feasible

    Liam F. Beiser-McGrath;Thomas Bernauer

  • Public support for environmental policy depends on beliefs concerning effectiveness, intrusiveness, and fairness

    Robert A. Huber;Robert A. Huber;Michael L. Wicki;Thomas Bernauer

  • Explaining Green Innovation: Ten Years after Porter's Win-Win Proposition: How to Study the Effects of Regulation on Corporate Environmental Innovation?

    Thomas Bernauer;Stephanie Engel;Daniel Kammerer;Jazmin Sejas Nogareda

Frequent Co-Authors

Vally Koubi
Vally Koubi ETH Zurich
Gabriele Spilker
Gabriele Spilker University of Konstanz
Halvard Buhaug
Halvard Buhaug Peace Research Institute
Nils Petter Gleditsch
Nils Petter Gleditsch Peace Research Institute
Robert Huber
Robert Huber Agricultural & Applied Economics Association
Matthias Huss
Matthias Huss University of Fribourg
Dustin Tingley
Dustin Tingley Harvard University
Helen V. Milner
Helen V. Milner Princeton University
Ulrike Ehlert
Ulrike Ehlert University of Zurich

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