Lutz F. Krebs is a political scientist with a focus on international relations and conflict research. Having completed graduate degrees in economics, political science and humanitarian assistance, he focused on studying the impact of democratization processes on the likelihood of civil-war onset in ethnically heterogeneous countries as part of the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research(NCCR) Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century. He has collaborated in the development of a new coding method for democratization periods and contributed to the launch of the peer-reviewed journal Living Reviews in Democracy. For his dissertation at ETH Zurich, Krebs has investigated the influence of political leaders on the likelihood of civil-war onset during democratization phases, challenging the theory of "elite manipulation" on the grounds that the theorized extensive influence of political leaders is unrealistic. As part of his second research focus, Krebs has published an edited volume of student studies on the functioning of actors in the global civil society.

Between 2010 and 2018, Krebs served as the education director for the M.Sc. program in Public Policy and Human Development offered jointly by United Nations University and Maastricht University. Since 2017, he is a member of the development team for the upcoming interdisciplinary B.A. program on Global Studies. He lectures at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (Maastricht University), Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (United Nations University) and University College Maastricht (Maastricht University), and provides supervision for bachelor, master and doctoral students.

	Selected publications by Lutz Krebs
Articles (journal, professional, popular)
Laar, Mindel van de , Lutz Krebs & Katerina Triantos, 2021, Supporting academic advising through self-directed, blended learning, UNU_MERIT Working paper series, 2021(021), More information
Haar, Roberta & Lutz Krebs, 2021, The Failure of Foreign Policy Entrepreneurs in the Trump Administration, Politics & Policy, 49(2): 446-478, DOI: 10.1111/polp.12399, More information
Krebs, Lutz, 2017, As US influence wanes, Germany has the chance to step into the spotlight, The Conversation (Global)
Krebs, Lutz, 2016, Starting Off on the Wrong Foot: Elite Influences in Multi-Ethnic Democratization Settings, Open Science Framework, DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/ydy6b, More information
Haar, Roberta & Lutz Krebs, 2015, Choosing to Intervene: US Domestic Politics and Moral Imperatives, Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 21(4): 497-505, DOI: 10.1515/peps-2015-0030, More information
Cederman, Lars-Erik, Simon Hug & Lutz Krebs, 2010, Democratization and Civil War: Empirical Evidence, Journal of Peace Research, 47(4): 377-394, DOI: 10.1177/0022343310368336, More information
Vorrath, Judith & Lutz Krebs, 2009, Democratisation and Conflict in Ethnically Divided Societies, Living Reviews in Democracy, 1, More information
Books (monograph or edited volume)
Krebs, Lutz, Stefanie Pfändler, Corinna Pieper, Saghi Gholipour & Nico Luchsinger (eds.), 2009, Globale Zivilgesellschaft: Eine kritische Bewertung von 25 Akteuren, BoD, Norderstedt, 475, More information
UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Laar, Mindel van de , Katerina Triantos & Lutz Krebs, 2021, Supporting academic advising through self-directed, blended learning, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2021-021
Krebs, Lutz, 2016, Tilting at windmills or whipping up a storm? Elites and ethno-nationalist conflict during democratisation, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2016-064
External working papers
Vorrath, Judith, Lutz Krebs & Dominic Senn, 2007, Linking Ethnic Conflict & Democratization: An Assessment of Four Troubled Regions, Ethnic divisions have long been linked to civil war and recent history seems full of examples. However, the mechanisms that lead a society down the path of ethnic conflict are not yet fully understood. This working paper presents the results of a series of workshops discussing the link between ethnicity and conflict under the condition of regime change. Based on contributions of area experts for four regions - the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Great Lakes of Africa and the Middle East – this paper tries to answer four guiding questions: Is there a link between ethnicity and conflict? Are there transnational spillover effects? Does democratization contribute to ethnic violence? And are there institutional solutions for divided societies?
Research reports
Tollast, Robert, Nick Waters & Lutz Krebs, 2019, Harsh Summer, Wet Winter? A Long-Term View of Iraq’s Water Resources, This report uses open source photography and satellite imagery to observe changes in the level of the Tigris river at Mosul during different stages, looking at historic imagery and dam reservoir activity across a section of the river basin. This project, which arose from a Bellingcat workshop in 2018, followed photographs on social media in Iraq in June 2018 showing alarmingly low levels in the Tigris river, when the river should have been just passing its peak discharge of May-June. We were interested in seeing whether these levels were unusual for the time of year. The Tigris river has historically had an unpredictable flow regime, partly due to the precipitous course of its tributaries, but it is clear that human activity and climate change have radically altered the characteristics of this river, with clear implications for water management in Iraq. In sum, this is not a case of dry summers and wet winters, but instead seeing a holistic view of a decades-long challenge, More information
Conference contributions
Marotta, Julieta & Lutz Krebs, 2019, Feeling the Benefit of Inclusion: the Value of “These Other People” in a Diverse Classroom, 2019 NASPAA Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California
Wong, Pui-hang & Lutz Krebs, 2013, Are Anocracies More Likely to Experience Civil War?, Peace Science Society (International) - International Studies Association Joint International Conference, Budapest, 27-29 June, 2013