PhD position at the Department of Macro, International and Labour Economics, Maastricht University

6 Apr 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Maastricht University (UM)

Research Field

Economics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

28 Apr 2024 - 21:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

38.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The Department of Macro, International and Labour Economics (MILE) at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) of Maastricht University offers a 4-year PhD position, starting September 1, 2024.

We are looking for a candidate who has – proven – interest in and wants to work on a research project that focuses on – the lack of – economic convergence and resilience in the euro area. The project aims to adding to the empirical evidence why economic convergence so far lags expectations. The empirical evidence should contribute to designing policy options strengthening and improving the functioning of EMU. The project is a joint project with the Dutch central bank(De Nederlandsche Bank, DNB ) in Amsterdam.

You are expected to spend part of your time at DNB, increasingly so during the tenure, and will do your research in the context of the research and policy work of the Economic Policy and Research Department of DNB. You may also be involved in actual DNB policy work. We also expect you to contribute to teaching activities at the department, taking max. 20% of total time.

More in detail, the research will focus on (1) the state of convergence and possible explanations for its slow speed; (2) how vulnerable individual euro zone members are to asymmetric shocks; and (3) which private and public shock-absorbing mechanisms are in place to make the system more resilient. From the convergence side, it raises the issue how far convergence should go and under what conditions incomplete convergence could still lead to a stable equilibrium. High persistence of regional differences in per capita income and living conditions within nation states is a well-known phenomenon. It raises questions on the underlying determinants of these differences as well as the characteristics of the institutional framework that appear to make it a status quo. Moreover, some argue that EMU itself has been contributing to divergence. We intend to investigate how asymmetric shocks as well as asymmetric responses to common (policy) shocks have played a role in widening the gap between countries. From the resilience side, the main question is which mechanisms exist to cope with asymmetric shocks. Both the academic and societal debate focus on creating sufficient national shock absorbers on the one hand, and on the added benefits of building cross-country shock absorbers on the other.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

We are looking for you if you have successfully completed a – preferably 2-year (120 ECTS) – Master’s degree (MSc or MPhil) in (Quantitative) Economics, Econometrics, or a related area (before September 2024). Next to this you:

• have an excellent command of English;
• have a record of high academic achievement (e.g., good grades and/or involvement in other academic activities) and the skills required to become an excellent researcher;
• are self-motivated, curious and interested in high quality policy-relevant research.

Additional Information
Benefits

As a PhD at The School of Business and Economics you will be employed by the most international university of the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is in graded according to the UFO profile PhD function level 0 with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from € 2.770 to € 3.539 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus are applicable.
• An employment contract for a period of 18 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 2.5 years will follow.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, Click here

Selection process

Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PhD candidate? Apply now, no later than 28 April 2024, for this position.

Please upload the following documents in your application:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Motivation letter
• Diplomas/degrees including a grade transcript of previous education at Master level
• Names and details of two references who support your application (e.g., professor/supervisor from MSc program)
• Formal evidence on analytical skills (GRE/GMAT) and/or language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS), if available
• Proof of academic writing skills by one of the following: BSc thesis, MSc thesis, or research paper.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Additional comments

Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact prof. dr. Clemens Kool ([email protected] ) or prof. dr. Olaf Sleijpen ([email protected] ) for more information.

For more information on the department MILE click here

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/339942/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Maastricht University

Country

Netherlands

City

Maastricht

Postal Code

6211LM

Street

Tongersestraat 53

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/339942/phd-position-at-the-department-of-ma…

Contact

City

Maastricht

Website

http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/

Street

Minderbroedersberg 4

Postal Code

6211 LK

STATUS: EXPIRED