Prof. Dr. Klaus Bertram Beckmann is the President of the Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Bundeswehr Hamburg (HSU). As an economist, his focus lies within the field of "Public Economics," including topics such as tax competition, tax evasion, wealth taxation, and the European fiscal constitution. He also engages in educational economics, particularly higher education economics, as well as security economics.
Beckmann studied economics at the University of Passau, graduating with a diploma in 1991. He subsequently worked as a research assistant and later as a lecturer in public finance. In 1998, he earned his doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) on the analytical foundations of fiscal constitutions and habilitated in 2002 with a thesis on tax evasion.
In 2002, Beckmann moved to the University of Bayreuth and shortly there after took up a professorship at the newly established Andrássy University Budapest, where he served until 2006. After returning to Germany, he became a professor of public finance at HSU and was elected university president in 2018.
Following high school, Beckmann served two years in the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). In 2016, he was promoted to Colonel of the Reserve. For his military contributions, he was awarded the Bundeswehr Cross of Honour in Silver. Additionally, for his dedication to German-French relations, he received the Ordre National du Mérite (Chevalier) from the French Republic.
As an expert in strategic wargames, Prof. Beckmann recently developed a game based on the "Colonel Blotto" model. This simulation incorporates multidimensional warfare, cognitive and hybrid elements, and economic considerations, while remaining concise enough to be played in a one-hour session. This design allows the game to be used for laboratory experiments and provides new insights into strategic decision-making.