Jürgen G. Backhaus (*1950), JSD 1976, PhD (Econ) 1985, holds the Krupp Chair in Public Finance and Fiscal Sociology at Erfurt University since November 2000. Between 1986 and 2000, he has held the chair in Public Economics at Maastricht University. In September 2004 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Thessaly (Greece). He has published 60 books and monographs, about 200 articles in refereed journals and book chapters, 28 scholarly notes and 63 reviews. His research interests span economics, but also neighbouring disciplines such as law, fiscal sociology and environmental sciences. In 1994 he founded (with Frank H. Stephen) the European Journal of Law and Economics, of which he is the managing editor.