Post-doctoral Fellow in Labour Economics (Economics of Crime)

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 56 000 students and 6 600 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

 

The Department of Economics at the University of Gothenburg belongs to the School of Business, Economics and Law and has around 100 employees from many countries. The department provides teaching to around 800 students in both economics and statistics. There is a vibrant research environment in a diverse set of subjects, including labor, health, applied micro, environmental, development, behavioral, and financial economics. More information about the department is available at www.economics.gu.se.

Applications are welcome for one three-year post-doctoral fellowship position to collaborate with Professor Randi Hjalmarsson on her European Research Council funded research agenda titled:  “Breaking the Inequality-Crime Cycle: Biases in Police Decisions, 'What Works' in Prison, and Firm Demand for Workers with Criminal Records”.

The successful applicant will be a member of the growing Labor/Applied Microeconomics research group at the Department of Economics in Gothenburg. Please follow the links for more information about the labor economics research group and Professor Hjalmarsson .

Subject area 

Labor Economics and the Economics of Crime.

Subject area description 

The economics of crime is a sub-field of labor economics that aims to understand both how individuals within the criminal justice system, ranging from offenders to police to judges, make decisions as well as the consequences of those decisions.

Job assignments

Recruited post-doc will be expected to collaborate with Professor Hjalmarsson on the ERC agenda on how to break the inequality-crime cycle. Economic inequality and segregation imply vastly unequal opportunities in many dimensions – the labor market, healthcare, informal networks, exposure to police – that can impact the chances of ending up in trouble with the law. Once caught in the justice system, it can be hard to break free, especially if a criminal record increases the barriers to employment. This cycle of crime and economic inequality can even be perpetuated across generations, if the impacts of a criminal record spill-over to an offender’s family members. 

This three-part agenda considers multiple points at which the cycle can potentially be broken, including (i) police decision making and the role of training, (ii) prison reforms and prison care, including healthcare, and (iii) the role of employment opportunities – or lack thereof – for individuals with criminal records. This final part will emphasize both the potential role of firm hiring decisions and offender informal networks. The core of this economics of crime agenda is thus at the intersection of literatures within labor economics, health economics, and networks and peer effects.

• The position is research intensive, and successful candidates will be expected to engage in research within the scope of the project.
• There is minimal teaching.
• Post-docs may also be expected to collaborate with other team members, including Professor Matthew Lindquist (SOFI, Stockholm University), Associate Professor Anna Bindler (Cologne University), other post-docs, PhD students, and research assistants.
• Active participation in the economics department’s research environment (e.g., seminar participation and organization).
• Potential research visits with collaborators in Stockholm, UK, US, and Germany.

Eligibility 

To be eligible as a postdoctoral fellow, the candidate should hold a PhD in a relevant subject, such as economics or public policy. This eligibility requirement does not have to be met at the time of application but must be met no later than the time the official employment decision is made. (This should not deter any PhD students on the job market for the first time from applying.)

We aim to target those who have a doctoral degree not older than 5 years from the application deadline. Eligibility for and decision on employment as a postdoctoral fellow are specified in the Agreement on Temporary Employment as a Postdoctoral Fellow dated 2021-11-19 and the University of Gothenburg's appointment regulations.

Assessment criteria 

The ideal candidate will have a background in applied microeconomics, with research experience or interest in the economics of crime. Applicants with training in labor economics, experience working with large register data sets and collecting data from public agencies (especially in Sweden, the US, and UK), and demonstrated expertise with contemporary quasi-experimental research designs will be especially well qualified for the position. 

As we operate in an international environment, the applicant is expected to have excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English.

The applicant who, in the overall assessment of skills and potential, is deemed to be best suited to contribute to the research agenda will be chosen. Research potential will be a key selection criterion, with a particular emphasis on the degree of progression and forward-looking aspects of the research.

Employment 

The Post-doc position is a temporary, full-time (100%) employment for 3 years located at the Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg. The earliest starting date is August 2024.

Contact information 

For further information regarding the position, please contact:
Randi Hjalmarsson, Professor, randi.hjalmarsson@economics.gu.se

Unions 

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande 

How to apply

Submit your application via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal by clicking the “Apply” button. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.  

Please attach the following in the application:

*Cover letter

*CV

*Research Statement (max 2 pages)

*Job market paper

*One additional paper (optional)

*Three letters of recommendation. These should be sent directly by the letter writers to postdoc.GU@economics.gu.se. Please ask the letter writers to include your name in the email’s subject line.

Closing date and all publications should be submitted no later than: 2024-02-01

All applicants will be given equal consideration. First round interviews for applicants who apply before December 1 will be conducted in coordination with the European Job Market for Economists at the end of December.

Information for International Applicants 

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit: 

https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services 
https://www.movetogothenburg.com/ 

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.