Dr. Richard Scholz

Head of Impact Analysis WifOR Institute

Dr. Richard Scholz is head of the research field Impact Analysis and a member of the leadership team at WifOR. He specializes in the evaluation of global value chains and translating organizational data into macroeconomic impacts.

Dr. Richard Scholz’s objective is to set standards in sustainability measurement in order to create comparability and transparency – for business, society, and politics. His clients include globally active companies and development banks as well as associations and foundations in Europe, the US, and other international markets. Combining business figures with macroeconomic models and datasets, Dr. Scholz and his Impact Analysis team apply scientific research in the areas of social, environmental, and economic sustainability. This research forms the basis of sustainable decision-making in companies, governments, and NGOs.


Having completed his Masters degree in Economics, Dr. Scholz obtained his PhD at the University of Leipzig. His doctoral thesis examined the role of industrialization and the manufacturing industry in furthering growth in African economies. In 2017, shortly before submitting his thesis, Dr. Scholz joined WifOR as a Senior Researcher in the Impact Analysis team. Two years later, Dr. Scholz took over as head of the department. He also lectures at the University of Darmstadt on the opportunities available to companies through sustainable development.

ClimateChoice

Measuring and understanding
Scope 3 emissions

ClimateChoice, April 2023

Watch interview
Guaranteed Irish

Sustainability Reporting and Impact
Valuation

Guaranteed Irish, May 2021

Read interview

Measuring and understanding
Scope 3 emissions

ClimateChoice, April 2023

Read interview

Sustainability Reporting and Impact Valuation

Guaranteed Irish, May 2021

Read interview

Academic Career and Research Focus

  • Dr. rer. oec. at the University of Leipzig
  • M.Sc. in Economics and B.Sc. in Economics at the University of Leipzig with specialization in Development Economics
  • Macroeconomic modeling
  • Analysis of global value chains of multinational companies
  • Multi-regional input-output analyses
  • Quantification of environmental, economic and social impacts of multinational enterprises
  • Applied Econometrics
  • Data Science