Dr Altenburg Tilman

Tilman Altenburg co-leads the research programme “Transformation of Economic and Social Systems” at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) the think tank for development policy in Germany. The programme employs approximately 40, mostly postdoctoral, researchers.

He received his doctorate in Economic Geography in 1991. Before joining DIE in 1995, he was a research fellow at the Free University Berlin and the Philipps University Marburg. He has done empirical research on economic development in Latin America, Asia and Africa, with a focus on competitiveness, industrial and innovation policy. 

Tilman’s main theme is how developing countries can design economic policies that enable them to improve their position in the global economy in a way that is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. He currently works on the following topics: Industrial policy, with a focus on greening and geopolitical perspectives; value creation in the emerging hydrogen economy; food retailers as drivers of sustainability innovation. 

Tilman is a co-initiator and coordinator of the international Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains and also serves in the Steering Group of Global Research Consortium on Economic Structural Transformation. His work aims to bridge research and policy, and he regularly advises German ministries and international agencies such as the OECD, the World Bank, UNCTAD, UNEP, UNIDO, UNDP, UN-ECLAC and, ILO and other agencies. As a member of Germany’s National Hydrogen Council, he advises the German government on hydrogen policy.

• Industrial policy
• Global value chains
• Green economy