Thorsten Reppert

STARTER SCHOLARSHIP

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Office: Feldkirchenstr. 21, Room: FG1/00.12, 96052 Bamberg, Germany
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E-Mail: thorsten.reppert(at)uni-bamberg.de
Phone: +49 (0)951 863-3615
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Pillar 4: Governance, Institutional Change and Political Behaviour

Field: Political Science

Research Interests: Public Policy, Political Economy, Local Governance, Social Policy, Energy Policy, Public Services
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// DISSERTATION PROJECT

Municipal Energy Supply between Public and Private Ownership - A Policy Analysis of Privatization and (Re)municipalization of Network-bound Services in the Federal Republic of Germany

Discourse on the shift between private and public ownership of utility enterprises in Germany is largely confined to the national or state level. Case studies on shifts at the municipal level are often highly anecdotal. Thus, knowledge about the extent and reasons for privatisation and re-municipalisation at the local level remains comparatively underdeveloped. At the same time, municipalities are playing an increasingly significant role in the adoption of renewable energies and in safeguarding a stable energy supply.

I aim to close this gap and examine both trends based on electricity grid operators of distribution networks in German municipalities. To achieve this, I create a novel dataset using information on network operators in 10,800 German municipalities and data on the shareholder structure of about nine hundred electricity companies, allowing me to determine the extent of privatization of network operators. By applying partisan theory to the governance of local energy, I want to identify if and how parties are central to the variation and spread of privatisation between different municipalities. On the one hand, I shall draw on the professionalisation of German local politics and the increased importance of local energy policy. At the same time, I analyse problems central to comparative political economy at the hitherto underutilized local political level.

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// ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

2018 - 2021
Master of Arts in Political Science, University of Bamberg

2015 - 2018
Bachelors Degree in Political and Social Studies & Business Management and Economics, University of Würzburg

Awards / Academic Achievements and Scholarships:

PhD Scholarship by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung since April 2023
BAGSS Starter Scholarship from April 2022 to March 2023
Study Scholarship by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung during Bachelor and Master studies

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// RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

Reppert, T. (2023): „Local-level ownership of electricity grids: An analysis of Germany's distribution system operators (DSOs)”. Utilities Policy 85, DOI: 10.1016/j.jup.2023.101678

Reppert, T., Rohleder, M., Seger, J. and Steinmeier, A. (2019): “Abgesicherte Freiheit in einer digitalen Arbeitswelt”. Neue Gesellschaft/Frankfurter Hefte, 11/2019, online: https://www.frankfurter-hefte.de/artikel/abgesicherte-freiheit-in-einer-digitalen-arbeitswelt-2846/.

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// CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS

Energiepolitik in Zeiten des Krieges, Schader-Stiftung & DVPW-Themengruppe Energietransformation. Poster: "Local-Level Privatization of German Electricity Grids: An Analysis of Distribution System Operators (DSOs) Ownership ". Darmstadt/Germany. 28 October 2022.

ECPR General Conference 2023. Presentation: "Local Parties and the (Re)municipalization of Distribution System Operators (DSOs) in Germany: An Analysis of Ownership Change in the 2010s ". Prague/Czech Republic. 04 – 08 September 2023.

Annual Conference of the DVPW Political Economy Section with [tra:ce] and (YSI-INET) on "Crisis and Transformation". Presentation: "Local Parties and the (Re)municipalization of Distribution System Operators (DSOs) in Germany: An Analysis of Ownership Change in the 2010s ". Witten/Germany. 21 – 22 September 2023.

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// EXPERIENCE

04/2021 - 09/2022

Research and Training Assistant - Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg

Advanced Seminar: Populism (Bachelor, Summer Term 2021)
Introductory Seminar Study Skills for Political Scientists (Bachelor, Winter Term 2021-22)
Seminar Policy Analysis: Comparative Environmental and Energy Policy (Bachelor, Winter Term 2021-22, Summer Term 2022)

10/2017 - 03/2021

Constituency office staff - Volkmar Halbleib, MdL

10/2017 - 03/2018

Tutor - Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg

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