Short Profile:

Leon is a pre-doctoral research fellow at the OBFA-TRANSFORM group at the Global Climate Forum. His research focus lies on the political economy of the global financial system and specifically on how states interact with the financial system through Off-Balance-Sheet Fiscal Agencies (OBFAs). He is particularly interested in the necessity and consequences of state risk-taking in transformation finance and how we can apply the insights analyzing macro-financial regimes and the hierarchy of currencies to current risk management methods.Leon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from the University of Mannheim and a Master of Science in Politics & Technology from the Technical University of Munich. In both programs he dedicated a significant part to quantitative methods. Additionally, he gained research insights by participating and attending several summer schools and conferences on international political economy and economics. He works in the financial sector.

Selected Publications:
Heckmann, Leon; Wurthmann, L. Constantin; Wagner, Sarah. 2025. “Who’s afraid of Sahra – Understanding the shifts in votes towards Germany’s Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht.” Research & Politics 12 (1).