I studied history at the University of Zurich and hold a PhD in sociology. I have published several authored or edited books and over journal articles and book chapters in English, German, Spanish and French. My academic work revolves around the explanation of the causes, the consequences and the prevention of interpersonal violence across human societies.
My research tries to contribute to the following questions: How can we describe and explain variation in levels of violence between societies and over the course of human history? What psychological and social mechanisms account for change and stability of violent behaviour over the life course? What combination of prevention, intervention and control is best suited to reduce interpersonal violence in different societies across the world? You can visit this page to find out more about my research projects.
I am a member of several editorial and advisory boards of academic journals and book series. My macro-level research on interpersonal violence comprises, amongst others, an innovative study on levels of homicide across Europe over a period of over years see, e.
This study has become a landmark in our knowledge on historical patterns of interpersonal violence. More particularly, I was first to conclusively demonstrate a long-term pattern of declining homicide across Europe and to empirically show geographic variations in these patterns. This research has had a profound impact on how sociologists and criminologists think about long-term trends in interpersonal violence and their relationship to the evolution of modern society.
A recent study From Swords to Words, , Crime and Justice - A Review of Research has put several hypotheses about the causes of the decline to more formal empirical tests. Studies with Prof Nivette University of Utrecht have examined the extent to which the legitimacy of the state is associated, at the macro level, with cross-national variation in homicide rates.
