Staff Profile
Dr Pascal Stiefenhofer
Senior Lecturer, Director of Studies (UG),PhD Convenor Department of Economics, NEPS Mentor
Pascal Stiefenhofer is a mathematician and economist. He joined the Newcastle Business School from the University of Exeter, where he was Deputy Director of Education. Pascal received a PhD in Mathematics (Dynamical Systems Theory, EPSRC Scholarship) and a PhD in Economics (Applications of Differential Topology/Geometry to General Equilibrium Theory, ESRC Scholarship). He previously worked at the University College London (Department of Statistical Sciences) and the University of York (Department of Economics and Related Studies). His current research includes artificial intelligence and machine learning in the context of social science data, applied econometrics, economic theory, and dynamical systems theory and its applications. He supervises PhD students in these areas.
Pascal’s teaching expertise is advanced mathematics for economics, the theory of mathematical proof, machine learning, mathematical statistics, and econometrics. He is currently teaching
- Statistics for Economics (UG)
- Introductory Econometrics (PG)
- Research in Practice in Economics and Finance (PGR)
Pascal’s research interests range from pure mathematics to applications of mathematical and statistical analysis to economics. In his most recent research, he develops artificial intelligence-based systems and machine learning models to study poverty and social exclusion in advanced economies.
Pascal works on developing a mathematical theory of existence, uniqueness, and exponentially asymptotically stability of periodic orbits defined by systems of ordinary differential equations with discontinuous right-hand side. He is particularly interested in the dynamic behaviour of such systems on the sliding manifold. Pascal applies this theory to modelling switching prices in energy markets, ethical consumption behaviour, and biomechanics i.e., the modelling of human gait.
He is also interested in education research. Pascal develops digitalised pedagogical games of mathematical proof. This research aims at enhancing the effectiveness of learning/teaching mathematical proofs. In this research he measures the effectiveness of this new pedagogy via controlled laboratory experiments. He collects biological and psychometric data to better understand questions surrounding learning and teaching mathematical reasoning.
Pascal has extensively worked on general equilibrium theory with incomplete financial markets. In this research he uses differential geometry/topology to study economic equilibrium properties. Pascal also applies catastrophe theory in modelling the firm and its financing in this context.
- Stiefenhofer P. Conspicuous Ethics: Existence of Price Dependent Ethical Utility Functions. Applied Mathematics 2021, 12(4), 252-261.
- Stiefenhofer P. Towards Understanding Prices and Ethics: Ethical Consumers with Price-Dependent Utilities. Journal of Theoretical Economics Letters 2021, 11(3), 477-484.
- Stiefenhofer P, Dickson S, Cowling M. Invisible and Overlooked: A profile of the educated working poor. 2020. In Preparation.
- Stiefenhofer P. Catastrophe Theory and Postmodern General Equilibrium: Some Critical Observations. Applied Mathematical Sciences 2017, 11(48), 2383-2391.
- Stiefenhofer P, Zhang W. Conspicuous Ethics: A Veblen Effect Condition for Ethical Consumption Goods. Applied Economics Letters 2022, 29(1), 72-74.
- Stiefenhofer P. Economic Stability of Non-Smooth Periodic Orbits in the Plane: Omega Limit Sets Part I. Nonlinear Analysis and Differential Equations 2020, 8(1), 41-52.
- Stiefenhofer P. Economic Stability of Non-Smooth Periodic Orbits in the Plane: Omega Limit Sets Part II. Nonlinear Analysis and Differential Equations 2020, 8(1), 53-65.
- Stiefenhofer P, Kumar S, Gregoriou A. Pricing Quanto Forward and European Options. Mathematical and Statistical Economics 2020, 2(1), 17-27.
- Stiefenhofer P, Ze F, Gregoriou A. Pricing Variance Swaps with Stochastic Volatility. Mathematical and Statistical Economics 2020, 2(1), 11-16.
- Cortinhas C, Stiefenhofer P. Undergraduate Research in Economics. In: Cambridge Handbook of Undergraduate Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. In Press.
- Stiefenhofer P, Giesl P, Wagner H. A system of inverted nonsmooth pendula: modelling an elderly person stepping over an obstacle. Nonlinear Analysis and Differential Equations 2019, 7(1), 17-32.
- Stiefenhofer P. Conspicuous Ethical Consumption. Theoretical Economics Letters 2019, 9(1), 1-8.
- Stiefenhofer P, Giesl P. Economic periodic orbits: a theory of exponential asymptotic stability. Nonlinear Analysis and Differential Equations 2019, 7(1), 9-16.
- Stiefenhofer P, Giesl P. Switching Regimes in Economics: The Contraction Mapping and the ω-Limit Set. Applied Mathematics 2019, 10(7), 513-520.
- Stiefenhofer P. Towards a Characterization of the Ethical Consumer: Conspicuous Ethics. In: Academics World 96th International Conference. 2018, Kyoto, Japan: Academics world.
- Stiefenhofer P. Existence of Financial Equilibria in a General Equilibrium Model with Piece-Wise Smooth Production Manifolds. Journal of Mathematical Finance 2017, 7(3), 671-681.
- Stiefenhofer P. Production in General Equilibrium with Incomplete Financial Markets. Journal of Mathematical Finance 2016, 6(2), 293-302.
- Stiefenhofer P. Topological Properties of the Catastrophe Map of a General Equilibrium Production Model with Uncertain States of Nature. Applied Mathematics 2014, 5(17), 2719-2727.
- Stiefenhofer P. An Application of Convex Analysis to General Equilibrium Theory with Incomplete Financial Markets. Journal of Mathematics, Statistics, and Operation Research 2013, 2(1).
- Stiefenhofer P. Corporate Equilibrium Properties of a Centralized Objective Function GEI Model. International Journal of Business Insights and Transformations 2013. In Preparation.
- Stiefenhofer P. The Catastrophe Map of a Two Period Production Model with Uncertainty. Applied Mathematics 2013, 8(A), 114-121.
- Stiefenhofer P. Welfare Analysis of General Equilibrium Models of Production with Incomplete Markets. International Journal of Money, Banking and Finance 2013.
- Stiefenhofer P. A Theorem on the Decentralization of the Objective Function of the Firm in GEI. Journal of Mathematics, Statistics, and Operation Research 2012.
- Stiefenhofer P. Firms under Uncertainty: Finiteness of Equilibria. Global Business Review 2012.
- Stiefenhofer P. The catastrophe map: Properties of a production model with uncertainty. Journal on Business Review 2012.
- Stiefenhofer P. Equilibrium Structure of Production Economies with Uncertainty: The Natural Projection Approach. The University of York Discussion Papers Series 2011.
- Stiefenhofer P. Finiteness of Equilibria in Production Economies with Uncertainty. The University of York Discussion Papers Series 2011.
- Stiefenhofer P. The Natural Projection Approach to Production and Uncertainty. The University of York Discussion Papers Series 2011.
- Stiefenofer P. A General Equilibrium Corporate Finance Theorem: A Special Case. 2010.
- Stiefenhofer P. Endogenous Incomplete Markets: A Production Model with Idiosyncratic Risk. The University of York Discussion Papers Series 2010.
- Stiefenhofer P. Production in General Equilibrium with Incomplete Markets. The University of York Discussion Papers Series 2009.
- Stiefenhofer P. Offshoring Outsourcing in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization. University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland 2004.