Helmut Anheier

Helmut K. Anheier, PhD, is past President of the Hertie School, Professor of Sociology, and member of the faculty at the Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California (UCLA). His research centres on policy analysis, indicator systems, social innovation, culture, civil society, non-profit organizations and philanthropy.

He received his PhD from Yale University in 1986, was assistant/associate professor of sociology at Rutgers University, senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Policy Studies, Professor of Public Policy and Social Welfare at UCLA, and Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. From 2007 to 2019 he held a Chair of Sociology at Heidelberg University and was founding Academic Director of the Centre for Social Innovation and Investment.

Before embarking on an academic career, he served as Social Affairs Officer at the United Nations. Anheier is author of numerous publications, many in leading journals, and has received various international awards.