Research fields
The research focus of the professorship is on development economics, regional convergence and political economy.

Research
Research interests include International Economics, Development Economics, Regional Economics and Political Economy.
Several research projects are based on granular, geo-referenced data such as daytime and nighttime light data from satellites.
Projekts
Shining (New) Light on Regional INequality, Convergence and Development (DFG Grant LE2395/2-1, 2017-2021). See https://lightinequality.com/
Selected publications
Professor Christian Lessmann
- Spatial Inequality, Geography and Economic Activity, World Development 136 (with Sandra Achten)
- International Trade, Geographic Heterogeneity and Interregional Inequality, European Economic Review 127 (with Georg Hirte und André Seidel)
- Human Lights, Remote Sensing 11(19), 2019, 2194 (with Ilari Määttä)
- Regional Inequality, Convergence, and its Determinants - A View from Outer Space, European Economic Review (92), 2017, 110-132 (with André Seidel)
- Spatial Inequality and Development – Is there an inverted U relationship? Journal of Development Economics 106, 2014, 35-51
- Interregional Redistribution and Mobility in Federations: A Positive Approach, Review of Economic Studies 78(4), 2011, 1345–1378 (with Anke S. Kessler and Nico A. Hansen)