His research focuses in particular on how markets and institutions should be designed when policymakers seek to address not only economic efficiency but also the distribution of resources and opportunities. In his work on inequality-aware market design, Dworczak and his co-authors develop tools for incorporating distributional concerns directly into the design of markets. Among other things, these studies show when measures such as price regulation, rationing, or targeted allocation can serve the public good—even if they entail losses in economic efficiency. Applications include the allocation of vaccines during a pandemic, the regulation of energy prices, and the relationship between taxation and market design.
A second strand of his research concerns the role of information in markets and institutions. Together with the renowned financial economist Darrell Duffie, he studied how financial benchmarks can be designed to remain reliable in the presence of manipulation, a question motivated by the LIBOR scandal, in which international banks manipulated a key reference interest rate. His more recent work studies how information should be governed when the interests of different parties are imperfectly aligned, including the design of markets for personal data and decisions about when to rely on advice from potentially misaligned AI systems.
Professor Axel Ockenfels, Director of the ASG, says: “Piotr's research asks how markets and institutions can be designed for the public interest – the question at the heart of the ASG. We are delighted that he is joining us at this early stage and helping to shape the school from the start.”
Piotr Dworczak says: “I am excited to join the ASG because the ultimate ambition of my research is to shape how we think about markets and economic institutions. The ASG offers a unique environment to combine rigorous academic research with policy questions—and to bring those ideas into the classroom for people who will go on to shape public policy.”
Research and Teaching at the ASG
Alongside his research, Dworczak will teach in the ASG’s planned Master's Program in Public Governance. The English-language programme is expected to welcome its first students in the winter semester of 2027/28.
Piotr Dworczak studied mathematics at the University of Warsaw and economics at the Warsaw School of Economics. He received his PhD from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business in 2017. In 2018, he joined Northwestern University, where he became a tenured Associate Professor in 2022. He is also a researcher at GRAPE (Group for Research in Applied Economics) in Warsaw.
His work has appeared in journals including Econometrica, the Journal of Political Economy, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and the Journal of Finance. He is Co-Editor of Economic Theory and an Associate Editor of Econometrica. He holds an ERC Starting Grant and a Sloan Research Fellowship (2022–2024). Most recently, Dworczak was elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society; admission to this society is considered one of the most prestigious honors in economics.
The Adenauer School of Government
The Adenauer School of Government (ASG) was established at the University of Cologne in 2025 with long-term funding from the Alfred Landecker Foundation. Working at the intersection of economics, law, technology, and governance, the ASG combines internationally competitive research and innovative teaching with dialogue and exchange across politics, civil society, and business. Its mission is to make government processes and strategic decision-making more evidence-based and effective.
Further information about Piotr Dworczak is available here and on the Adenauer School of Government website.