Stefan Empter studied Economics and Sociology (Ph.D.) at the University of Augsburg as well as Educational and Social Sciences at the Distance University of Hagen. Until 1989 he worked in research and teaching at the University of Augsburg and the "International Institute for Empirical Social Research" (inifes) in Leitershofen.
In 1989 he joined the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Gütersloh as executive in charge of fundamental societal issues and in subsequent years was heading a number of different divisions, departments and programs (including Economics and Social Affairs, Higher Education, Future of the Social Market Economy, Evidence-based Policies) - since 2012 he is Head of the Program "Shaping Sustainable Economies". Since 2001 he is Member of the Management Committee and since 2008 Senior Director of the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
He was instrumental in building up the "it-akademie ostwestfalen" of the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the IHK Ostwestfalen (Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Eastern Westphalia) as its Founding General Manager and later Deputy Chairman of its Advisory Board. In addition, he is a member of a number of boards and commissions of the Bertelsmann Stiftung and other foundation and institutions - e.g. he is Member of the Board of the "Foundation for Corporate Governance, Ethics and Social Change" at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Member of the Executive Board of the "Stiftung Wirtschaft Verstehen" in Essen and Member of the Board of the "Institute for Economic Education" (IÖB) at the University of Oldenburg. Since 2011 he is Member of the Executive Steering Group of the "Global Economic Symposium" of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Selected publications: "Wirtschaftsstandort Deutschland" (2006; ed. with Robert Vehrkamp), "Soziale Gerechtigkeit - eine Bestandsaufnahme" (2007; ed. with Robert Vehrkamp), "Social Entrepreneurship - Social Business: Für die Gesellschaft unternehmen" (2011; ed. with Helga Hackenberg), "Sustainable Governance Indicators 2011 - Policy Performance and Governance Capacities in the OECD" (2011; ed. with Daniel Schraad-Tischler), "The ‚social' in the social market economy - Justice in Europe" (Policy Brief Future Social Market Economy 2011/01)