2025–2026
Financial Times — Free Lunch Newsletter · 2 August 2026
What Percentage of UK Households Are Net Contributors? (PAYWALLED)
Research prominently featured and directly quoted in the Financial Times economics newsletter by FT economics writer Harvey Nriapia. The piece draws on the Kyklos paper Net Fiscal Contributions in the EU (with Köppl-Turyna M.) to provide the only available international comparison for the UK debate on net contributor households. Christl is quoted directly on how welfare targeting, pension treatment and demographic composition drive cross-country differences in the "break-even" point across EU welfare regimes.
Il Fatto Quotidiano (Italy) · 15 September 2026
Il sistema previdenziale italiano regge, e lo fa grazie ai migranti, non malgrado loro
Article by Sebastiano Melita examining the contribution of migrants to Italy's pension system, drawing on research by Fiorio, Frattini, Riganti & Christl. The piece highlights how migrants' younger age structure and higher labour market participation make them net positive contributors to public finances, providing on average €1,510 more per year than natives in the EU-14 — an effect driven primarily by their low uptake of pensions and elderly healthcare.
The Energy Pioneer · 2026 (by Andrew Mambondiyani)
'Synthetic Rwanda' Reveals the Unexpected Emissions Cost of Electrification
The Energy Pioneer — an independent outlet covering the global energy transition — featured the research on Rwanda's 2016 National Electrification Strategy. Journalist Andrew Mambondiyani describes the finding as a "sustainability paradox": the policy dramatically expanded electricity access (+17 percentage points) but also produced a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions (+1,070 kilotons CO₂ equivalent), driven by infrastructure expansion and a shift away from renewable energy sources. The policy lesson: climate considerations must be built into electrification strategies from the start.
DevDiscourse (Science & Environment) · 27 February 2026
Rwanda's Energy Revolution Lights Homes While Emissions Quietly Rise
International development news outlet DevDiscourse covered the same research, highlighting how Rwanda's electrification success story carries an overlooked environmental cost — with emissions rising noticeably above the synthetic control by 2020. Research by Di Pietro F., Campbell K., Christl M. & Changwony F. (Energy Economics, 157, 2026).
Financial Times — Free Lunch Newsletter · 2 August 2026
What Percentage of UK Households Are Net Contributors? (PAYWALLED)
Research prominently featured and directly quoted in the Financial Times economics newsletter by FT economics writer Harvey Nriapia. The piece draws on the Kyklos paper Net Fiscal Contributions in the EU (with Köppl-Turyna M.) to provide the only available international comparison for the UK debate on net contributor households. Christl is quoted directly on how welfare targeting, pension treatment and demographic composition drive cross-country differences in the "break-even" point across EU welfare regimes.
Marginal Revolution (Tyler Cowen) · May 2026
The Corporate Tax Rate Really Matters
Tyler Cowen highlighted the working paper Competitiveness of the Tax System and Economic Growth (with Köppl-Turyna M.) on Marginal Revolution, one of the world's most widely read economics blogs. The paper shows that improvements in tax competitiveness are significantly linked to higher GDP per capita growth across European countries.
Süddeutsche Zeitung · 2026
Geringverdiener leiden am meisten unter Iran-Preisschock
Coverage in Germany's leading quality newspaper on the distributional effects of oil and energy price shocks driven by the Iran conflict. Research on how price shocks fall disproportionately on low-income households, drawing on work on energy price policies and redistribution.
European Commission · Speaker Profile
Speaker Profile — European Commission Taxation and Customs Union
Official speaker profile at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD), reflecting his role as a recurring invited expert on EU tax policy.
European Parliament · December 2025
Invited Testimony: FISC Subcommittee Hearing on Taxation of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals
Invited by the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC) to testify on wealth taxation policy in the EU. The testimony argued for improving the efficiency of the existing tax system rather than introducing new wealth taxes.
European Commission (DG TAXUD) · June 2025
Annual Report on Taxation Event 2025 — Invited Speaker
Invited to present at the European Commission's Annual Report on Taxation Event in Brussels on "Fair and effective taxation: Strengthening compliance and progressivity." Co-panellist with leading tax economists from CenTax and University of Alcalá.
ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute) · June 2025
Budget Perspectives 2026 — Invited Speaker, Dublin
Invited to present Does redistribution hurt growth? An Empirical Assessment of the Redistribution-Growth Relationship in the European Union (with De Poli S. & Köppl-Turyna M.) at the ESRI Budget Perspectives 2026 seminar, 11 June 2025, Dublin.
Spanish Press — December 2025
Andalucía Económica · 18 December 2025
El economista Michael Christl lidera un proyecto financiado por el Observatorio Social de la Fundación "la Caixa" que evaluará los efectos de la reforma que equiparó los permisos parentales de hombres y mujeres en España (2017–2021) sobre la igualdad de género, el empleo y las trayectorias salariales de las mujeres.
Teleprensa (Sevilla) · 17 December 2025
Coverage of the Caixa Social Research 2025 grant award for the AIGEPL project, noting the two-year research timeline and €115,000 in funding, with co-investigators Silvia De Poli and Adrián Hernández Martín.
Religión Digital (Educación) · 17 December 2025
National education press coverage of the Fundación la Caixa–funded project, highlighting Michael Christl's profile as an empirical policy economist with extensive European Commission experience.
2022–2024
science.ORF.at
Umverteilung: Wohin Sozialausgaben in Europa fließen
ORF's science magazine covered research showing how social spending in Austria and across Europe differs in its distributional effects between generations and income groups.
Aktuelle Sozialpolitik
Umverteilung eher nach oben oder unten. Kommt darauf an, ob man in Nord- oder Südeuropa lebt.
Der Standard
Sozialausgaben fließen in Südeuropa in Pensionen für Wohlhabende
Coverage of research showing that in southern Europe, social spending flows disproportionately to well-off pensioners, while in northern Europe it targets the lowest incomes.
International Print — Selected Coverage
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung · April 2018
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung · July 2017
Neue Zürcher Zeitung · April 2017
Die Zeit · March 2017
Ältere Langzeitarbeitslose sollen auf Staatskosten einen Job bekommen
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung · April 2016
Neue Zürcher Zeitung · September 2015
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung · December 2015
Austrian Media — Selected Coverage
Kurier · March 2018
Der Standard · January 2018
Wo der Arbeitsmarkt alt aussieht und was die Regierung vorhat
Der Standard · August 2017 (Gastkommentar)
Die Presse · June 2017
Die Presse · August 2015
TV & Radio
ORF Report (TV)
ServusTV: Talk im Hangar
Ö1 Saldo — das Wirtschaftsmagazin · September 2017
Ö1 Mittagsjournal · June 2017
Ö1 Morgenjournal · June 2014