Comparative Political Economy of the Welfare State

Postdoctoral research positions. Deadline: April 1, 2015

The Higher School of Economics International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development (ICSID) in Moscow, Russia invites applications for a postdoctoral research position in the field of the comparative political economy of the welfare state.

How and when do employers, employees, and the state cooperate in order to develop and reform social policy? What are the policy preferences of each of these groups and how do they pursue them? The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a general crisis in its successor states, with particularly severe impacts on the effectiveness of the welfare state and the provision of skill in the economy. Creating a well-functioning social safety net and resolving skill deficits in the labor market have been two key priorities in Post-soviet states. Despite this, little is known about the process of reform and particularly the role of business-state cooperation in resolving these issues. ICSID has begun to study this problem in Russia, with a particular emphasis on skill formation regimes in the Russian regions. The center has recently completed preliminary work on measuring the extent of reform in skill formation in a few Russian regions and is assembling a unique database of Russia’s vocational education institutions and their links to business across the country. Candidates will participate in the assembly of the database and ongoing research on vocational education, more specifically, and preferences for social policy, more generally. While the project is focused on Russia, candidates whose research involves a comparative dimension or who focus on other contexts are also encouraged to apply.

The position involves:

• working under the direct supervision of Thomas Remington (Senior Researcher, ICSID)
• participants are encouraged to pursue their own research in parallel with working on ICSID’s research projects in two broad areas:

1. Business-state relations and their influence on the development of vocational education and retraining in Russia’s regions
2. Business strategies and policy preferences with respect to regional and federal level social policy and skill formation

• writing research papers for international peer-reviewed journals in co-authorship with the members of the Institute
• participation in organization of events and other contributions to the Institute’s development
• teaching and public presentations of candidate’s own research are also encouraged

The Institute offers access to its databases (please see website), analytical software, and technical support. The center will also offer the Post-doc research assistants for data collection and maintenance tasks related to the center’s project areas.

Requirements:

• a PhD from an international research university in such fields of social science as: economics, sociology, political science, public policy or government.
• A strong background in data processing and data analysis using classical statistics. Experience working with survey data and multi-level modeling (or willingness to learn).
• Experience with qualitative research, such as conducting field interviews, surveys, or analysis of policy documents and media. Experience assembling databases from qualitative data is an asset.
• ability to work in a team
• English fluency. Russian proficiency is strongly encouraged, but not required.

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

Please apply via online application form and attach you CV and research statement. Two letters of recommendations should be sent directly to fellowship@hse.ru by April 1, 2015.

The HSE is a young, dynamic, fast-growing Russian research university providing unique research opportunities. Four years ago, the HSE started an ambitious program to create international research laboratories headed jointly by Russian and foreign scholars. As one of these laboratories, the International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development (ICSID) brings together leading Russian and foreign experts to conduct cutting edge research on the institutional foundations of growth and development.