Center for Institutional Studies (Moscow). Postdoctoral research positions. Deadline: March 25, 2014

The Higher School of Economics, the Center for Institutional Studies (CInSt) invites applications for postdoctoral research positions in the project 'Institutional analysis of public procurement in Russia' working under the supervision of Elena Podkolzina.

The focus of this project is on the interactions between suppliers and government procurers in Russia under the existing public procurement law. We study the impact of regulation and institutional environment on the public procurement outcomes using auction theory, theory of contracts and comparative institutional analysis. Furthermore, we study the interplay between formal and informal institutions and the impact of informal practices on the incentives of the parties involved in public procurement procedures.

Along with cross-regional data on public procurement system characteristics we use the data on the procurement auctions outcomes for selected goods in selected regions. The data allows us to conduct cross-regional comparison as well as isolated case studies of the system.

Using the institutional approach the impact of some characteristics of institutional environment on public procurement in different regions or countries can be estimated. This, in turn, provides grounds for assessing the potential of borrowing 'successful' practices.

The job requires involvement with this research project both in empirical and theoretical fields. Teaching is not required.

Topics of interest include but are not restricted to:

• Collusion and corruption in public procurement;
• Antitrust regulation on procurement markets;
• Intermediaries and efficiency of public procurement;
• Courts and efficiency of contract enforcement.

CInSt has access to several datasets on Russian procurement system which contain information on drugs, gasoline and road construction markets. It is also possible to construct a new dataset on Russian procurement system related to research topic.

Required qualifications:

We are looking for highly motivated and independently working researchers with interest in public procurement research. Applicants should have a strong theoretical and empirical background in economics (a PhD degree in Economics from a recognized university). Proficiency in spoken and written English is mandatory.

General conditions for Post-Doctoral Research positions can be found here. Appointments will be normally made for one year.

A CV, research statement and two letters of recommendation should be sent to fellowship@hse.ru  by March 25, 2014.

The HSE is a young, dynamic, fast-growing Russian research university providing unique research opportunities.