Professor Johannes Bröcker passed away on 19 January 2021 at the age of 70. He was a very active member of the “Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung”, the German Speaking Section of the Regional Science Association International, for more than 35 years.
Obituary
Professor Dr. Johannes Bröcker, long serving director of the Institute for Regional Research at Chris-tian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, passed away all too soon on January 19, 2021. Aged 70, he had been suffering from a serious illness. Johannes Bröcker was a very active member of the “Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung”, the German Speaking Section of the Regional Science Association International, for more than 35 years.
Johannes Bröcker was born in Kiel in 1950, studying economics at the universities of Freiburg im Breisgau and Kiel. In 1983, he earned his doctorate at Kiel University. His dissertation dealt with economic integration and international trade in Europe. In 1992, he habilitated under the supervision of Kiel University’s Karin Peschel, his thesis focussing on numerical multiregional equilibrium analyses. In 1993, Johannes Bröcker accepted a professorship for macroeconomics and spatial economics at the Technical University of Dresden. Following the reunification in Germany’s East, he was key in setting up the Institute of Transport and Economics at the ‘Friedrich List’ Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences. In 2000, Johannes Bröcker returned to Kiel, taking over two new roles – a Professorship in International and Regional Economic Relations and the management of the Institute for Regional Research. The latter had formerly been managed by his erstwhile supervisor, Karin Peschel. As Dean, he headed the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences from 2003 to 2004. Additionally, he was a much valued member of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Board of Trustees for many years.
In research and teaching, Johannes Bröcker was acknowledged by his peers and students to be an outstanding personality. His research interests focused on regional economics and international trade. He received international acclaim for his work on the measurement of trade barriers and spatial general equilibrium models. He also worked on questions concerning economic growth, resource use and climate economics. Following his retirement, toward the end of his life, he actively participated in the excellence cluster ROOTS at Kiel University. Here, he engaged with questions concerning social inequality in earlier societies. As a colleague, he was highly respected and always helpful. Regardless of what was asked of him, Johannes invariably found a way of offering help. He supported many young researchers, influencing their careers in a highly positive way. As a mentor, he characterized himself as a very unique individual.
In the course of his research activities, Johannes Bröcker established and maintained numerous contacts with colleagues in Germany and abroad. He was also active in various scientific associations. From 1996 to 2000, he was chair of the standing field committee for Regional Science of the Verein für Socialpolitik. He also devoted himself tirelessly to the work of the August-Lösch-Association. For many years, he was chair of the August-Lösch Prize Committee.