At Lucerne University

for Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU)

Professor for Economic Sociology

My research does not treat corruption as individual misconduct: I ask who enjoys impunity – and who bears the brunt of anti-corruption measures.

In my teaching, I present a range of theories and perspectives so that students can find their own standpoint. I focus on the comparison of standard economics with alternative approaches.

Current research: Corruption in Russia and Ukraine

Coming soon: Michael Derrer's book trilogy (2026)

In the contexts studied, corruption is usually not the moral failure of individuals – it is a structure. The trilogy reads corruption as an architecture of impunity: an interplay of selective rule enforcement, staged compliance and the informal exercise of power. This architecture outlasts reforms and sometimes even turns them to its own ends.
Drawing on years of fieldwork in Russia and Ukraine, this research Derrer develops a new language for how systems of power and privilege reproduce themselves – precisely when they publicly commit to fighting corruption.
The three volumes, published by Peter Lang in 2026, can each be read on their own, but achieve their full effect together:

Redefining Corruption: How Systems of Power and Privilege Survive Reform (300 pages)
Corruption, Extortion, and Power: Decoding Informal Governance in Russia and Ukraine (300 pages)
Shifting Dynamics of Corruption: Narratives from Kyiv and Moscow (300 pages)

beyondIntegrity – Informal governance, impunity and reconstruction

Anyone seeking to understand structural corruption should ask not first who is guilty, but who is protected by the structures. The beyondintegrity research focus at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, initiated by Michael Derrer, examines how power configurations arise that outlast reforms and reproduce themselves – and what this means for investment and reconstruction projects. This research has given rise to a configuration diagnostic that makes visible to donors, institutions and companies what audits, indices and compliance checklists overlook. www.hslu.ch/beyondintegrity

Talks and academic exchange

By invitation, Prof. Derrer presented his work internationally in 2026:

Elliott School of International Relations, George Washington University, Washington
Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Sapienza Università di Roma
University of Warsaw, Robert Zajonc Institute for Social Studies
Université de Genève, Research Center for Corruption Studies
SASE Annual Conference, Bordeaux
ECPR General Conference, Kraków
Stanford University (October 2026)

Further Publications

The following book projects by Michael Derrer are currently in progress:

STRAIN (Systemic Tension and Repair Architecture in Institutions) is a framework for how organisations absorb and “repair” internal tensions in order to stay functional – and at what cost, and at whose expense, this happens.
Orderpower Economics analyses the economy as a struggle over the rules themselves: power lies not with whoever trades most efficiently, but with whoever controls standards, access and infrastructures – and draws lasting advantage from doing so.
Wirtschaft im Widerspruch (Economics in Contradiction) is an economics-education textbook that builds teaching around the confrontation of contradictory economic theories and models – rather than presenting economics linearly as a single truth.
SWITEX (Swiss Index for Teaching Excellence) is an instrument that makes teaching quality measurable – for the diagnosis, targeted development and values-oriented improvement of teaching, based on principles central to Switzerland.

Full publication list by Michael Derrer

Teaching Assignments

I have been teaching at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences since 2012 in the following fields:

Teaching economics differently

Introduction to economics - heterodox perspectives

In the introductory course for master’s students, we confront the perspective of standard economics (neoclassical theory) with alternative traditions of thought.

Economic sociology

To ensure that this introduction does not remain too dry for non-specialist students, the second part of the module takes place in Eastern Europe, where the students conduct a short empirical research.

Underground Economics

In this cross-faculty seminar, we ask how we can actively shape our economy and discuss alternative economic models.

All About Economy Film Days

Film is a suitable medium for economics education. In the dialogue with Eastern European lecturers and students, we discuss documentaries and feature films on the topics of economics and business. Three editions take place per year, alternately in Gdansk, Bucharest, Kiev and Sofia. Project website: economy-filmdays.info

Business success abroad

Business Ethics

The course introduces the fundamental questions of business conduct: what does a company owe to society, and where do the boundaries lie between what is legally permitted, economically sensible and ethically responsible?

Eastern Europe - our unknown neighbors

I have organized 20 educational tours to Eastern and Southern European countries to examine opportunities and challenges of the local economy.

Methods and indicators for evaluating business locations

The objective of the course is to acquire a critical attitude towards economic indicators – this helps to avoid drawing wrong conclusions and take erroneous entrepreneurial decisions.

Past lectures

Where I learned the craft of didactics

2013-2019 Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Social Work: Introduction to Economics
2015-2019 Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Social Work: Labor Society, Labor Market and Unemployment
2011-2014 FFHS: Personnel Management, Knowledge Management
2011-2012 Berne University of Applied Sciences: Introduction to Accountancy (in French language)
2009-2011 Business School Lenzburg: Business, Economics, Commercial Law, Civic Education
1992-1993 Gelterkinden Secondary School, Liestal High School: History, German, Foreign languages

Academic interests

Plural economics

In contrast to the other social sciences, in economics, there are few alternative theories that are taught. Thanks to the pool of knowledge and concepts of “alternative” thinkers of the past and present, we broaden our horizons and the ability to think independently.

Market economy instead of capitalism

The search for an economic system that includes the advantages of a market economy but avoids the negative aspects of real-existing capitalism can be found in different traditions of thought. I find the following particularly productive:

Ordoliberalism and Distributism. The aim is to spread property more equally and ensure a level-playing field for SMEs.
Taxation of “unearned” (effortless) income instead of taxes on work and entrepreneurial success, e.g. through a land tax according to Henry George, an inheritance tax on large assets or a microfinance tax
Monetary reform approaches from Silvio Gesell to Joseph Huber and Positive Money

Economic sociology and institutional economics

The use of a social science methodology allows to observe how the economy actually works. Values, traditions and ideas play a much larger role than standard economics suggests. This is also of practical relevance: Swiss companies can only be successful abroad with an understanding of the specific values and norms of the respective society and the use of targeted intercultural communication.

Valuation of goods that are difficult to value

Today, value is created primarily through knowledge. But knowledge is nowhere to be found in the balance sheet. Is it possible to assign an objective value to this knowledge? For the Federal Parliament, I designed and carried out the study “Compensation and Infrastructure for Members of Parliament”, in which the work of parliamentarians was assessed, in order to create the basis for their adequate compensation.

Constructivist education in economics

Constructivism deals with the way, in which people theorize facts and form models, and how these models in turn influence people’s behavior. For teaching, this means enabling students to deal with models, to question them and also to create their own models. However, economics education still consists primarily of the passive adoption of models that are assumed to represent a supposedly objective reality. In order to implement my approach, I am working on the textbook “Wirtschaft im Widerspruch” (Conflicting views on the economy), in which different perspectives on the economy are confronted – with an open outcome.

Study background

Doctorate in Sociology, University of Warsaw

For my doctoral thesis I chose the University of Warsaw, where I found a suitable supervisor in the well-known sociologist Prof. Dr. habil. Jacek Kurczewski. The topic of my dissertation was “Corruption, extortion, and power in Russia and Ukraine”. I conducted empirical research in both countries in 2021. The results illustrate the complexity of these phenomena. I was awarded my doctorate in March 2024.

Teaching diploma in economics and law, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland

Theoretical and practical didactic training, with a pedagogical foundation, supplemented by additional specialist studies in private law and applied accounting. I wrote my independent work about the “constructivism” approach in business education.

Master of Advanced Studies in Public Policy Management and Analysis, University of Geneva

The focus of this second degree at the Faculty of Economics was on the role of the state in the economy and in the application of modern management methods to public administration. I wrote my thesis on the role of the state in promoting lifelong learning.

BA Political Sciences, University of Lausanne

The study program consisted of courses in political science, sociology, contemporary history and economics. The main focus of my studies was on

History of economic and sociological theory (Karl Polanyj, Michel Foucault, Jürgen Habermas, Pierre Bourdieu)
Discourse analysis (early socialism; real socialism; nationalist discourse; ethnic discourse; liberalism)
Foreign economic policy and international financial organizations
Political parties between interests, ideology and organizational dynamics

The many research papers to write during this study program led me towards independent research, interdisciplinarity and a scientific, unbiased attitude.

Studies abroad

I studied in Bucharest in 1992, and in 1996 I was the first western student at MGIMO (Moscow State Institute for International Relations), the training center for the Soviet and today the Russian diplomats.

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