The Bordeaux School of Economics is offering a post-doctoral contract in economics for a period of two years (24 months) intended for excellent early-career researchers. The contract is funded by the ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) under the Chair of Professor Nicolas Hérault.
The position provides an outstanding opportunity to conduct independent research (intended to represent at least 50% of research time) with access to research funds upon demand for travel, data, software or computer equipment.
The post-doctoral researcher will also be expected to collaborate (as co-author) with Pr. Nicolas Hérault and Pr. Olivier Bargain. Their research topics cover public and labour economics and a variety of research methods including microeconometric techniques (RDD, Diff-in-Diff, etc.), meticulous microdata analyses as well as tax-benefit microsimulation models.
Potential topics for collaboration include (but are not limited to):
- Public policy evaluations: how social transfers such as State retirement pensions, unemployment benefits or family benefits affect recipients’ and potential recipients’ behaviours (e.g., claiming decisions, labour supply, etc.)?
- Tax-transfer policies: what is the effect of tax-transfer policies on inequality? on labour supply? How do we measure the implicit cost of children embedded in these policies? How does it align with consumption models? With optimal tax models?
- Integrated behavioural analyses in economics and psychology: how do we integrate approaches in economics and psychology for the analysis of behavioural responses to shocks? How to develop econometric approaches to provide large-scale evidence on behavioural responses that are also analysed more closely through lab experiments? (Lab experiments can be carried out jointly with the team of behavioural economists and/or psychologists at Bordeaux University).
- Measurement issues in income inequality and income mobility (both intra- and intergenerational): how reliable are these measures at the bottom and top of the distribution? What are the extent of mismeasurement issues in different data sources such as administrative/register data and survey data? How can we address them?
- The political economy of tax-transfer policies: how does the political process, such as changes in elected majorities, affect the design of the tax-transfer system? In turn, does the political process mediates the effect of tax-transfer reforms on people’s behaviours such as labour supply decisions?
Profile
The candidate should hold a PhD in Economics, have strong analytical skills and a high standard of research excellence. Experience in applied econometrics in one or more of the following areas is required: labour economics, welfare economics, public economics. The candidate should have the ability to work effectively, both independently and collaboratively, as part of an international team.
Knowledge of French is not required.
Application process
Candidates are invited to send a CV, a cover letter with a short research statement (1 page max.), one research paper, and at least two recommendation letters to Nicolas Hérault (nicolas.herault@u-bordeaux.fr) and Olivier Bargain (olivier.bargain@u-bordeaux.fr).
Deadline: applications will be examined as they come in until a suitable candidate is found.
Additional information
This position is for two years and comes with no teaching nor administrative duties. However, the candidate can opt to give paid courses (in French or English).
The successful applicants will be provided with office space and computer facilities at BSE. A regular presence at BSE is expected for a better integration and involvement in the rich BSE research life, noting that flexible work schedules tailored to your needs as well as (partial) remote work are key parts of BSE’s work culture.
Starting date: flexible but no later than September 1, 2024.
Remuneration: Gross monthly remuneration between €2,700 and €3,000 depending on experience.
The Bordeaux of School of Economics
BSE offers as stimulating and lively research environment as one of the main French research centres in economics, bringing together a community of approximately 160 researchers, engineers, administrative staff and doctoral students.
Through research in economics and in association with other disciplines, BSE aims to make a significant contribution to major contemporary societal issues.