Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

1

Thesises: Bachelor- und Master

In case of interest, please send an e-mail and a current credit point

statement (Leistungspunktekontoauszug) to

Dr. Matthias Blum

Weihenstephaner Steig 22

Room 1.06

85354 Freising, Bayern

Fon: +49 8161 71-2773

Fax: +49 8161 71-3030

Email: matthias.blum[at]tum.de

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

2

Biotech regulations, risk assessment, and the financial burden of

entrepreneurs

(in English or German)

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

The case of Vion Pharmaceuticals, a US-based biotech company developing novel

cancer therapeutics received a great deal of attention when the Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) advised that Vion had to complete an additional randomized

study to prove the efficacy and safety of “Onrigin”, a promising anti-cancer agent. By

the time the FDA requested additional research, Vion neither had sufficient financial

resources, nor was she able to raise additional capital to conduct the requested

research and continue its operations.

A central goal in this study will be the investigation of the role of regulatory

processes, such as requirements for the research and testing of innovative

pharmaceuticals, including the need for randomized trials and other (time, and

finances) resource consuming requirements. The burden of meeting requirements of

biotech companies (compared to other, established industries) is of central

importance, which may affect a company’s creditworthiness, due to a drug’s market

maturity being delayed. In extreme cases, such as new start-up business in biotech,

heavy regulatory burdens may increase the risk of bankruptcy and may affect a

company’s ability to access capital and funding on favorable terms.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

3

The impact on agriculture from neighboring, non-agricultural industries

(in English or German)

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

There are several inter-linkages between the agricultural sector and industries

located outside of the agricultural sector. The most prominent example is the energy

sector, which has become increasingly dependent on biofuel production. Another,

less prominent examples include upstream industries supplying the automobile

sector with hides, leather and other biological materials.

Consequently, any shock to a downstream industry such as the energy or automobile

sector exerts an impact on the prosperity of its agricultural suppliers. For example,

during slumps in demand for automobiles Vion N.V. (respectively Sonac, its

subsidiary marketing hides) experiences economic problems due to decreasing

demand for hides.

The candidate’s task in this thesis is to investigate inter-linkages between the

agricultural sector and neighboring, non-agricultural sectors, such as the automobile

industry and their impact (e.g. during recessions) on agriculture’s economic

prosperity.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

4

Regulations and how they influence modern EU medicine and the Bioeconomy:

the case of enzymes

(in English or German)

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

Enzymes are used for many bio-based products: beer, cheese, pharmaceuticals,

washing powder to name only a few. The regulations on using enzymes depend on

the final product. The theory on regulatory harmonization predicts that in the end

enzymes will be regulated according to one regulatory standard. Producers argue

this may result that in some cases regulations are more stringent than necessary. In

particular concerns have been raised about the regulation of enzymes used in the

health care sector being overregulated as the more stringent standards used within

the food sector are applied.

The thesis will follow a case study approach. The objective of the thesis is to

compare regulations on the use of enzymes in the food and health care sector and to

identify if indeed regulations in the food sector have implications for the regulation in

the health sector.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

5

How important were agricultural pre-conditions for the development of

societies?

(in English or German)

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

In his seminal book “Guns, Germs, and Steel” (1997), Jared Diamond argues that

economic success of some countries is not created by superior intelligence, or

superiority in general, but was pre-determined by a set of agricultural preconditions.

Among others, the bare number of domesticable plant and animal species were

responsible for developmental advantages of Europe and Asia and disadvantages for

other world regions.

The candidate’s task is reviewing existing studies on this hypothesis and

investigating whether there is space for improvements in this field. Possible

extensions of existing studies include the influence of agricultural pre-conditions on

economic development and human capital levels.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

6

Are we getting smarter? An evaluation of the so-called “Flynn-effect”

(in English or German)

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

In two influential studies, Flynn (1984, 1987) reports that Western populations have

experienced gains in IQ scores in the order of 5 to 25 points per generation over

approximately the last seven decades (Flynn 1984, 1987, 1999, Lynn 1982). Since

the IQ gains occurred too rapidly to have been caused by genetic selection, most

approaches trying to explain the Flynn-effect focus on environmental causes. The

most prominent one is related to improved nutrition enabling human bodies (and

brains) to develop more fully (Lynn 1989, 1990).

Flynn’s findings are important to economists as they may offer new and critical

insights into the determinants of economic growth. If improved nutrition can result in

an increase in mental abilities, it may also foster accumulation of human capital. In

this regard, Flynn (2012) states that IQ gains in some countries have provided

“mental abilities that allow us to better deal with the complexity of the modern world,

including the problems of economic development” (Flynn 2012, p.1).

This thesis is supposed to test this hypothesis and evaluate the impact of Flynn’s

finding on economic growth and development.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

7

Sustainable economic development in Germany? Empirical evidence in

historical perspective

(in English or German)

(Research project, B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

Starting after the Rio summit of 1992, governments started searching for alternative

indicators to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for future human welfare which are

comprehensive, simple to use, and have predictive power (McLaughlin et al. 2012).

One of the most common indicators linking sustainable development with human

well-being, the capital stock (human and physical) and resource depletion, is

‘Genuine Savings’ (GS). GS measures the net depletion or accumulation of all capital

stocks in a given period in time, where ‘capital’ includes produced, natural, human,

and social capital. The central idea is that different forms of capital - produced,

natural and human - may be substituted to sustain development. GS has been

adopted by the World Bank as it is a broadly recognized indicator of the sustainability

of economic development for countries worldwide. In this thesis, the candidate’s task

is to use given sources of German economic development (in terms of GDP) during

the past and evaluate this development regarding its impact on Germany’s Genuine

Savings.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

8

Climate change, declining harvests and the well-being of Europeans during the

Little Ice Age – is history repeating itself?

(in English or German)

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

History provides us with a unique natural climate experiment: during the Little Ice Age

(16th to 19th centuries) Europe experienced declining atmosphere temperatures,

indicated by slower growth of trees (measured by tree rings). Knowledge of this event

might help us better understanding today’s challenges during increasing

temperatures allegedly caused by the climate change. The candidate’s task is to

compare temperature reconstructions and a number of welfare measures, such as

real wages or average height, during this time and to evaluate parallels to modern-

day challenges related to climate change.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

9

Germany during the First World War (several topics)

- Were inhabitants of cities starving while the rural population was

doing just fine?

- Were Protestants better off than Catholics?

- On the road to National Socialism: were German living standards

during the First World War responsible for the Second World War?

(in English or German)

(Research project, B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

When Germany was at war from 1914-1918, its enemies – primarily the British Navy

– isolated the country by a naval blockade to prevent imports of foodstuffs and

armament goods. As a consequence, Germany’s agricultural production declined

substantially as the lack of labor, fertilizer, and capital goods hindered production.

The shortage caused black market food prices in Germany to increase up to several

thousand per cent. This had several consequences: living standards declined,

especially did nutrition, and inequality rose. In particular urban citizens and Catholics

were affected most. At the same time, the food crisis provided farmers with a unique

business opportunity. The candidate’s task is to investigate either aspects of German

living standards, agriculture or the crisis’ impact on the success of the NAZI during

the early 1930s.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

10

Fact or fiction: is there such thing as gender discrimination?

(in English or German)

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

In this thesis the candidate’s task is to investigate potential sources of gender welfare

differences on a global perspective, and to discuss them in the light of recently

collected evidence. Among others, it has argued that in the course of economic

development women’s status follows an U-shape development: they initially lose in

terms of socioeconomic status relative to men, while at later stages women catch up.

This phenomenon has been investigated within some case studies, and more

generally for the case of human capital development.

This thesis may focus on the case on the relative nutritional status of women relative

to men. It is possible to use data provided by the supervisor to test this hypotheses

by applying a dataset on global male and female welfare estimations.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

11

A déjà-vu for Germany as a center for research and innovation? German and

EU biotech policies and the dismissal of Jewish scientists in Nazi Germany

(in English or German)

(Research project, B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

Recently, BASF, a large manufacturer of pharmaceutical and chemical products,

announced that it will relocate its biotech R&D to the US. According to BASF officials,

the reason for this step is the “lack of acceptance by the majority of consumers and

politicians”. This means not only a loss of white-collar jobs, but a removal of valuable

human capital and technology which might be lost for future economic development.

In this thesis, the candidate’s task is a comparison of the aforementioned

developments and a similar natural experiment: the dismissal of Jewish scientists in

Nazi Germany. Both events have similarities and differences. The main difference, of

course, is the nature of the two migration flows. While the reason for migrating Jews

was a hostile climate for ethnic and religious minorities, the reason for relocating

research centers of today’s biotech companies is a hostile climate towards GM

technologies. Similarities include the loss of human capital, investments, innovations,

and most likely patents, growth, and technical and technological advances.

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

12

How does the shadow economy contribute to our well-being? (in English or

German)

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

One common weakness of GDP estimations is that it is based on official statistics.

Unofficial sources of income, such as informal work or black markets (especially their

extent), are often unknown and have to be neglected. The candidate’s task is to

discuss reasons for participation in informal markets and the consequences for

welfare: both the individual’s welfare and the consequences for the entire society are

relevant (e.g. via low tax revenues due to informal work).

Lehrstuhl für Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft Weihenstephaner Steig 22 85354 Freising Tel.: +49 8161 71-5180 Fax: +49 8161 71-3030 E-Mail: matthias.blum@tum.de

13

How much do Rinderpests tell us about technology in animal husbandry and

medicine?

(B.Sc. or M.Sc. thesis)

Rinderpest, also known as the cattle plague, is a threat to cattle breeders, agriculture

as a whole, and, in extreme cases, to human nutrition. Information on cattle plagues

as well as their extent (e.g. losses in % of the cattle herd) is available in the literature

and can be easily analysed. The central questions in this thesis are: why do cattle

plagues occur, what measures exist to contain their spread, and does the extent of

the plague contain information about the level of existing medical and agricultural

technology?

In this thesis, the candidate’s job is to use existing information on the occurrence and

the severity of cattle plagues, to compare this information with other indicators of

medical and agricultural technology, and to evaluate to what extent Rinderpests can

be used to gain information about the prevailing level of medical and agricultural

technology.