4 PhDs in Behavioral Economics of Environmental Policy and Ecosystem Services

The Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship for Environmental Economics at the Institute of Environmental Systems Research, University of Osnabrück (Germany) is recruiting 4 new Phd students with starting date in March 2015.

Description of responsibilities

The four positions are part of a large research project concerning the role of behavioral economics in designing environmental policies. An important part of the work includes responsibility for experimental design, implementation of economic experiments, and data analysis in one of the following four themes:

1. Designing payments for environmental services for watershed protection in Colombia: the role of fairness and distributional aspects (1 PhD)

2. Designing payments for environmental services in Costa Rica: the role of self-selection and endogenous preferences (1 PhD)

3. Designing agri-environmental measures in Lower Saxony: the role of conditionality and framing effects (1PhD)

4. Cooperative approaches to environmental policy and their effect on preferences (1Phd)

Required qualification

The successful candidates should hold a Master’s degree in economics and ideally have previous training in areas related to environmental, experimental and behavioral economics. Candidates must have solid quantitative skills and very good writing skills. Fluency in English is required. A strong motivation, interest in environmental issues and ability to work independently is desirable.

Compensation

We are offering an excellent research environment and close cooperation with a dynamic team and a network of international collaborators. The positions are for a period up to four years and include the writing of a dissertation thesis. Salary and working hours are in accordance with the German state public service salary scale (E 13).

Additional information

As a certified family-friendly institution, Osnabrück University is committed to furthering the compatibility between work/studies and family life. As an employer, Osnabrück University is particularly concerned with creating equality opportunities for women and men. Women with relevant qualifications are therefore strongly encouraged to apply for the position. Preference will be given to women with equal qualifications. Furthermore, qualified applicants with disabilities will be favored.

Applications

If you are interested, we invite you to apply before January 4, 2015. We aim to fill the positions by March 1st, 2015. Please send a cover letter including a brief description of research interest and relevant experiences, a CV, three letters of references and copies of your university diploma and transcripts in one pdf-file to Mrs. Eva-Maria Tolzmann (eva-maria.tolzmann@uni-osnabrueck.de)

For more specific information on the four PhD positions, please contact Prof. Dr. Stefanie Engel (stefanie.engel@uni-osnabrueck.de), Dr. Estelle Midler (estelle.midler@uni-osnabrueck.de) or Dr. Elisabeth Gsottbauer (elisabeth.gsottbauer@uni-osnabrueck.de).