Michael Bechtel is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Environmental Policy Major at Washington University in St.Louis. His research explores how countries can design policies to address environmental and economic risks. Current projects examine mass support for global climate cooperation, the politics of natural disasters, and policy responses to economic crises. Much of his scholarly work uses original survey data, experimental designs, and causal inference techniques to study solutions to policy problems. His articles have been published in American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, International Organization, Nature Climate Change, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and elsewhere. He has authored and co-authored two books on the politics of financial markets and received research grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Network for International Studies, and the German National Merit Foundation. He serves as an external consultant and expert witness in legal proceedings that involve survey research and quantitative analyses.

Bechtel is a first-generation college student who served as a regular soldier and reserve officer in the German Army. He holds a BA in Political Science, Business Administration, Law, and Philosophy (2003), an MA in Political Science, Business Administration, and Public Law (2005), a Ph.D. in Political Science (2008, summa cum laude), and a Habilitation in Political Science (2012).

Now available: Social Norms Survey Instruments
These files contain word and qualtrics versions (including Java script) of survey modules to elicit reciprocity, altruism, and inequality aversion in mass surveys:

washu
washu