Stefan J. Reichelstein

The William R. Timken Professor of Accounting, Emeritus
Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Senior Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy
Academic Area:
Stefan J. Reichelstein

Bio

Stefan Reichelstein received his Ph.D. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1984. Prior to that, he completed his undergraduate studies in economics at the University of Bonn in Germany. Over the past 30 years, Reichelstein has served on the faculties of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, the University of Vienna in Austria, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. His teaching has spanned financial and managerial accounting courses offered to undergraduate, MBA, and doctoral students. In recent years, he has introduced new courses on Sustainability and Clean Energy at the Stanford Business School. Reichelstein’s research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and a range of private foundations; several of his papers have won “Best-Paper” awards. Reichelstein serves on the editorial boards of several journals; he is also currently an editor of the Review of Accounting Studies and Foundations and Trends in Accounting. Until 2010, he served as the Department Editor for Accounting at Management Science. Professor Reichelstein has been a consultant to select companies and non-profit organizations. He has received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Fribourg (2008) and Mannheim (2011). In 2007, Reichelstein was appointed a Honorar-Professor at the University of Vienna.

Administrative Titles

Faculty Research Director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance
Faculty Director, Energy Business Innovations (EBI)

Stanford GSB Affiliations

  • Faculty Director Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI) 2015-2018

Stanford University Affiliations

  • Senior Fellow Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)

Academic Degrees

  • PhD, Northwestern University, 1984
  • MS, Northwestern University, 1980
  • Pre-Diploma, University of Bonn, Germany, 1978

Academic Appointments

  • Director, Mannheim Institute for Sustainable Energy 2018–present
  • Professor Emeritus (active), Stanford GSB, 2018–present
  • Professor, Stanford GSB, 2002–2018
  • Professor, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, 1993–2001
  • Associate Professor, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, 1990–1993
  • Assistant – Associate Professor, Stanford GSB, 1986–1990
  • Assistant Professor, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, 1982–1986

Awards and Honors

  • Graduate School of Business Trust Faculty Fellow for 2014-2015

Research Statement

Stefan Reichelstein is known internationally for his research on the interface of management accounting and economics. Much of his work has addressed issues in cost- and profitability analysis, decentralization, internal pricing and performance measurement. His research projects have spanned analytical models, empirical work and field studies. Reichelstein’s papers have been published consistently in leading management and economic journals. Insights from his research have been applied by a range of corporations and government agencies. In recent years, Reichelstein has also studied the cost competitiveness of low-carbon energy solutions, with a particular focus on solar PV and carbon capture by fossil fuel power plants.

Journal Articles

Stefan J. Reichelstein
Review of Accounting Studies
July 2024 Vol. 29 Pages 2125–2156
Gunther Glenk, Philip Holler, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Energy & Environmental Science
November 2023
Stephen Comello, Julia Reichelstein, Stefan J. Reichelstein
One Earth
July 21, 2023 Vol. 6 Issue 7 Pages 803–810
Gunther Friedl, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Amadeus Bach, Maximilian Blaschke, Lukas Kemmer
Journal of Business Economics
July 2023 Vol. 93 Pages 1125–1148
Shira Cohen, Igor Kadach, Gaizka Ormazabal, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Journal of Accounting Research
June 2023 Pages 805–853
Gunther Glenk, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Nature Communications
December 2022 Vol. 13 Issue 1
Gunther Glenk, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
October 2022 Vol. 168
Gunther Glenk, Rebecca Meier, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research
September 7, 2021 Vol. 73 Pages 179–206
Benedikt Downar, Jürgen Ernstberger, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Sebastian Schwenen, Aleksandar Zaklan
Review of Accounting Studies
August 5, 2021
Stephen D. Comello, Gunther Glenk, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Applied Energy
March 2021 Vol. 285
Sunil Dutta, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Management Science
February 2021 Vol. 67 Issue 2 Pages 1303–1325
Gunther Glenk, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Production and Operations Management
October 2019
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Stephen D. Comello
Nature Communications
May 2019 Vol. 10 Issue 1 Pages 2038
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Gunther Glenk
Nature Energy
February 25, 2019 Vol. 4 Pages 216-222
Stephen D. Comello, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Anshuman Sahoo
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
September 2018 Vol. 92 Pages 744-756
Peter C. Psarras, Stephen D. Comello, Praveen Bains, Panunya Charoensawadpong, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Jennifer Wilcox
Environment Science Technology
August 2017 Vol. 51 Issue 19 Pages 11440-11449
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Anshuman Sahoo
Contemporary Accounting Research
May 31, 2017
Madhav V. Rajan, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Alexander Nezlobin
Review of Accounting Studies
June 2016 Vol. 21 Issue 2 Pages 438-472
Stephen D. Comello, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
March 2016 Vol. 55 Issue March 2016 Pages 591–602
Karim Farhat , Stefan J. Reichelstein
Applied Energy
February 15, 2016 Vol. 164 Pages 857–870
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Anna Rohlfing-Bastian
The Accounting Review
July 2015 Vol. 90 Issue 4 Pages 1653-1682
Anshuman Sahoo, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Stanford Energy Journal
May 5, 2015 Issue 6
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Anshuman Sahoo
Energy Economics
March 2015 Vol. 48 Pages 97–108
Madhav V. Rajan, Maureen McNichols, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Review of Accounting Studies
December 2014 Vol. 19 Issue 4 Pages 1393-1435
Stephen D. Comello, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Energy Policy
November 10, 2014 Vol. 74 Pages 579 – 588
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Michael Yorston
Energy Policy
April 2013 Vol. 55 Pages 117-127
Özge Islegen, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Management Science
January 2011 Vol. 57 Issue 1 Pages 21 – 39
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Sunil Dutta
Review of Accounting
September 2010 Pages 442-478
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Tim Baldenius
Journal of Accounting Research
March 2006 Vol. 44 Issue 1 Pages 1-28
Tim Baldenius, Nahum D. Melumad, Stefan J. Reichelstein
The Accounting Review
July 2004 Vol. 79 Issue 3 Pages 591-615

Working Papers

Gunther Glenk, Rebecca Meier, Stefan J. Reichelstein August 2024
Amadeus Bach, Simona Onori, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Jihan Zhuang August 2024
Stephen D. Comello, Julia Reichelstein, Stefan J. Reichelstein March 2022
Stephen D. Comello, Julia Reichelstein, Stefan J. Reichelstein November 2021
Stephen D. Comello, Julia Reichelstein, Stefan J. Reichelstein July 18, 2021
Gunther Glenk, Rebecca Meier, Stefan J. Reichelstein April 2021
Stephen D. Comello, Gunther Glenk, Stefan J. Reichelstein May 2020
Benedikt Downar, Jürgen Ernstberger, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Sebastian Schwenen, Aleksandar Zaklan May 2020
Peter C. Psarras, Stephen D. Comello, Praveen Bains, Panunya Charoensawadpong, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Jennifer Wilcox August 2017
Stephen D. Comello, Stefan J. Reichelstein September 2016
Stephen D. Comello, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Anshuman Sahoo, Tobias S. Schmidt July 2016
Madhav V. Rajan, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Alexander Nezlobin April 2014
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Ansu Sahoo September 2013
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Anna Rohlfing-Bastian August 2013
Maureen McNichols, Moritz Hiemann, Stefan J. Reichelstein August 2013
Madhav V. Rajan, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Alexander Nezlobin 2011
Madhav V. Rajan, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Alexander Nezlobin 2010
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Ozge Islegen 2009
Madhav V. Rajan, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Mark Soliman 2006
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Sunil Dutta 2005
Stefan J. Reichelstein, Tim Baldenius 2003

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Cases

Rezvan Derayati, Margot Sutherland, Stefan Reichelstein
2024
Stefan J Reichelstein, Teresa J Landaverde Lorenzo, Patrick Liebmann, Rebecca Meier, Margot K Sutherland
2023
Stefan Reichelstein, Donna Bebb, Stephen Comello
2017
Stefan Reichelstein, Debra Schifrin
2016
Stefan Reichelstein, Donna Bebb
2016
Stefan Reichelstein, Davina Drabkin
2015
Stefan Reichelstein, Christos Makridis
2014
Stefan Reichelstein, Sara Rosenthal, Anshuman Sahoo
2013
David Hoyt, Stefan Reichelstein
2011
David Hoyt, Stefan Reichelstein
2011
Nicole Bastian, Stefan Reichelstein
2004

Insights by Stanford Business

December 05, 2023
New ideas never go out of season.
July 13, 2023
More CEOs are getting “ESG pay.” Does it improve their companies’ sustainability and financial performance?
April 08, 2022
The world of climate promises and carbon offsets is “like the Wild West, where anything goes,” says Stefan Reichelstein.
December 02, 2021
A “modest proposal” to give corporations a real incentive to cut emissions.
May 18, 2020
A new study shows that power-to-gas systems harnessing renewable energy can produce cleaner, cost-effective hydrogen for industry.
July 16, 2019
A new study finds that hydrogen could address a major drawback of solar and wind power.
October 17, 2016
Stanford researchers weigh in on a contentious debate around changes to an important renewable energy incentive.
August 30, 2016
Stanford GSB professors suggest articles and books related to the concept of “equity.”
April 06, 2016
A change in the law could extend electricity to millions of people.
December 08, 2015
A Stanford scholar shows why the critics are wrong.
April 21, 2015
A change to a tax credit could kill the nascent industry.
December 15, 2014
Learn more about risk and other related topics.
October 17, 2014
Not as much as you might think, according to two scholars.
June 06, 2012
A conversation with Stefan Reichelstein on the economics of solar power.
October 01, 2009
A study says the financial impact of regulating coal-fired power plants under a cap-and-trade system will be much less than previously projected.
January 01, 2007
A group of scholars explore a term that "has only been vaguely understood."
October 01, 2004
A prize-winning paper presents a real-world method for transfer pricing that incorporates both management and tax considerations.
May 01, 2002
Researchers establish that residual income, or economic value added, is indeed an efficient performance metric.

School News

October 25, 2023
In Washington and around the globe, faculty are helping policymakers untangle knotty problems.
May 31, 2023
Bolstered by a partnership with Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford GSB increases support for resources catalyzing climate solutions.