Mathias Binswanger graduated in economics from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland and received his PhD from the University of Kassel, Germany. Subsequently, he taught at the University of St. Gallen and was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, USA and at Columbia University in New York. In 2000 he was a Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Freiberg in Germany and taught at the University of Basle in Switzerland from 2006 to 2008. He was also teaching at Banking University in Saigon as well as at Qingdao Technical University in China. He has published books, articles and discussion papers in the fields of macroeconomics, environmental economics, finance as well as the economics of happiness. He also writes articles for a wider audience in newspapers and magazines and is a prominent speaker at many events. In 2006 he published the Swiss bestseller "Die Tretmühlen des Glücks" (The Treadmills of Happiness). His most recent books are "Sinnlose Wettbewerbe" (Absurd Competitions) published in 2010; "Geld aus dem Nichts" (Money Out of Nothing) published in 2015; and "Der Wachstumszwang (The Growth Imperative)", published in 2019. Additionally, Mathias Binswanger also serves as political advisor to the parliament and the federal government in Switzerland.