About the person

I was born in Grafenberg (Bavaria) in 1957 and studied German language and literature, political science, history and philosophy in Erlangen and Berlin. In 1989 I completed my doctorate with a thesis on the Frankfurt School philosopher Walter Benjamin, and in 1998 I habilitated at the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the Free University of Berlin. As a research assistant there, I was involved in several research projects on aspects of political theory.

Since then, I have been a private lecturer at the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the Free University of Berlin and offer courses on interest politics, lobbying and public affairs. I also teach at the Center for Nonprofit Management at the University of Münster and at the University of Kassel.

As a research associate at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), I prepared the "Report on the Situation and Perspectives of Civic Engagement" as part of the Civil Engagement Project Group. I also work as a journalist in this field. I produce the fortnightly newsletter for the Federal Network for Civic Engagement (BBE). Before that, I was a research assistant for the German Bundestag's Enquete Commission "The Future of Civic Engagement".

My academic and journalistic work focuses on lobbying, campaigning, political communication and civic engagement. I have produced numerous publications on these topics.