Dr. Robert Lepenies
Thematic Area Environment and Society
Department of Environmental Politics
Working Group Social-science Water Research
Helmholtz Centre
for Environmental Research − UFZ
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig, Germany
phone: ++49 - 341 - 235 1406
fax: ++49 - 341 - 235 45 1733
robert.lepenies@ufz.de
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertLepenies
Areas of Expertise & Research
- Poverty & Sustainability Research
- Politics of Water & the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Behavioral Public Policy (Nudging)
- Philosophy of the Social Sciences (Economics)
Curriculum Vitae
2004 − 2007
BA Politics, Philosophy and Economics, University of Oxford, UK
2007 − 2008
MSc International Political Economy, London School of Economics, UK, Awarded with Distinction
2009 − 2014
Ph.D. Political Science (Governance), Hertie School of Governance Berlin, Losers in Trade: Economics and Normative Justifications
Received the 2015 German Nachwuchspreis für Plurale Ökonomik
2012 − 2013
Fulbright-Schuman Fellowship, Philosophy, Yale University, USA
2013 − 2015
Max Weber Fellowship, European University Institute, Italy
2015 − 2016
WZB ASK Prize Recipient, Berlin Social Science Center (WZB)
2016 − 2017
Fellow at KFG Justitia Amplificata/Philosophy, Freie Universität Berlin
since 2017
Research Scientist at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Environmental Politics
Elected in 2016 to the Global Young Academy for ‘Scientific Excellence and Service’ as one of only 200 young scholars world-wide. Elected to the Executive Committee in 2019 and 2020
Guest lecturer at ESCP Europe Business School, Freie Universität Berlin and Hertie School of Governance
Major Conferences Organized
2020 − International Conference of Young Scientists “Heal the Earth: Sustainable Development Goals in a Changing World” (India + online)
2019 − Brussels PEER Stakeholder Workshop on Risks and the SDGs (with E. Primmer & K. Jax)
2019 − Anniversary Meeting of Global Young Academy in Halle on “Re-Enlightenment” at the Leopoldina Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften (Lead local organiser).
2017 − Dimensions of Poverty, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (with H. Hahn & V. Beck)
2017 − Behavioural Sciences and the politics of simplifications, Villa Vigoni (with K. Loer & H. Strassheim)
2015 − The Future of Basic Income Research - Economic and Philosophical Perspectives, Two day conference & Book workshop with Philippe van Parijs (with J. Bidadanure)
2014 − Annual Max Weber conference on Adam Smith, EUI, May 2014 (conference committee)
2014 − The Structural Roots of Global Poverty, Academics Stand Against Poverty Deutschland e.V. inaugural conference, Freie Universität Berlin, January (conference committee)
2014 − John Rawls: Past, Present, Future, Global Justice Program, Yale University
Memberships
- Global Young Academy, until 2021
- Interacademy Partnership Science for Poverty Committee (IAP-SPEC)
- Fulbright Alumni
- Deutsche Vereinigung für Politikwissenschaft (DVPW)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Philosophie (DGPhil)
- Forum Wirtschaftsphilosophie
- International Network for Economic Method (INEM)
- Institute for New Economic Thinking – Young Scholars Initiative (INET-YSI)
- Gesellschaft für Analytische Philosophie e.V. (GAP)
- International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA)
- Next Generation Stifterverband
Reviewer for
- UN Global Sustainable Development Report
- Global Policy
- Comparative Research on Poverty (CROP)
- Philosophy, Politics and Economics
- Millennium – Journal of International Relations
- Res Publica
- GAIA
- Critical Public Policy
- Ecosystem Services
- Ecological Economics
- Water
- Government Information Quarterly
- Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy (CRISP)
- Review of Philosophy and Psychology
- Leviathan
Teaching
- Hertie School of Governance (International Economic Thought)
- ESCP Europe Business School (Introduction to Politics)
- Freie Universität Berlin (Moral and Practical Philosophy)
- LSE/EUI Teacher Training Program (Justice)
- European University Institute, individual seminars (Global Justice/John Rawls)
For syllabi and course evaluations, see www.robertlepenies.com
Publications and Media Appearances
2023 (1)
- Lepenies, R., Büttner, L., Bärlund, I., Jax, K., Lyytimäki, J., Branth Pedersen, A., Ørsted Nielsen, H., Mosoni, C., Mille, R., Payen, G., Richard, D. (2023):
The politics of national SDG indicator systems: A comparison of four European countries
Ambio 52 (4), 743 - 756
full text (doi)
2022 (2)
- Hüesker, F., Lepenies, R. (2022):
Why does pesticide pollution in water persist?
Environ. Sci. Policy 128 , 185 - 193
full text (doi) - Mustajoki, J., Borchardt, S., Büttner, L., Köhler, B., Lepenies, R., Lyytimäki, J., Mille, R., Branth Pedersen, A., Reis, S., Richard, D. (2022):
Ambitiousness of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets: classification and implications for policy making
Discov. Sustain. 3 , art. 36
full text (doi)
2021 (3)
- Lehmann, P., Beck, S., de Brito, M.M., Gawel, E., Groß, M., Haase, A., Lepenies, R., Otto, D., Schiller, J., Strunz, S., Thrän, D. (2021):
Environmental sustainability post-COVID-19: Scrutinizing popular hypotheses from a social science perspective
Sustainability 13 (16), art. 8679
full text (doi) - Lehmann, P., de Brito, M.M., Gawel, E., Groß, M., Haase, A., Lepenies, R., Otto, D., Schiller, J., Strunz, S., Thrän, D. (2021):
Making the COVID-19 crisis a real opportunity for environmental sustainability
Sustain. Sci. 16 (6), 2137 - 2145
full text (doi) - Lepenies, R., Zakari, I.S. (2021):
Citizen science for transformative air quality policy in Germany and Niger
Sustainability 13 (7), art. 3973
full text (doi)
2020 (5)
- Beck, V., Hahn, H., Lepenies, R. (eds., 2020):
Dimensions of poverty : measurement, epistemic injustices, activism
Philosophy and Poverty 2
Springer, Cham, 412 pp.
full text (doi) - Beck, V., Hahn, H., Lepenies, R. (2020):
Interdisciplinary perspectives on poverty measurement, epistemic injustices and social activism
In: Beck, V., Hahn, H., Lepenies, R. (eds.)
Dimensions of poverty: Measurement, epistemic injustices, activism
Philosophy and Poverty 2
Springer, Cham, p. 1 - 20
full text (doi) - Hendlin, Y.H., Arcuri, A., Lepenies, R., Hüesker, F. (2020):
Like oil and water: The politics of (not) assessing glyphosate concentrations in aquatic ecosystems
Eur. J. Risk Regul. 11 (3), 539 - 564
full text (doi) - Lyytimäki, J., Salo, H., Lepenies, R., Büttner, L., Mustajoki, J. (2020):
Risks of producing and using indicators of sustainable development goals
Sustain. Dev. 28 (6), 1528 - 1538
full text (doi) - Zingraff-Hamed, A., Schröter, B., Schaub, S., Lepenies, R., Stein, U., Hüesker, F., Meyer, C., Schleyer, C., Schmeier, S., Pusch, M.T. (2020):
Perception of bottlenecks in the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive
Water Altern. 13 (3), 458 - 483
2019 (2)
- Kersting, F., Lepenies, R., Neef, T. (2019):
Mehr als nur Werkzeuge. Kritik an Experimenten in der Ökonomik
In: Petersen, D.J., Willers, D., Schmitt, E.M., Birnbaum, R., Meyerhoff, J.H.E., Gießler, S., Roth, B. (Hrsg.)
Perspektiven einer pluralen Ökonomik
Wirtschaft + Gesellschaft
Springer / VS, Wiesbaden, S. 209 - 229
full text (doi) - Lepenies, R., Małecka, M. (2019):
Behaviour change: extralegal, apolitical, scientistic?
In: Straßheim, H., Beck, S. (eds.)
Handbook of behavioural change and public policy
Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, p. 344 - 360
full text (doi)
2018 (3)
- Lepenies, R., Hüesker, F., Beck, S., Brugnach, M. (2018):
Discovering the political implications of coproduction in water governance
Water 10 (10), art. 1475
full text (doi) - Lepenies, R., MacKay, K., Quigley, M. (2018):
Three challenges for behavioural science and policy: the empirical, the normative and the political
Behav. Public Policy 2 (2), 174 - 182
full text (doi) - Lepenies, R., Małecka, M. (2018):
The ethics of behavioural public policy
In: Lever, A., Poama, A. (eds.)
The Routledge handbook of ethics and public policy
Routledge, Abingdon, p. 513 - 525
full text (url)