Doctoral student in Economic History

Doctoral student in Economic History – Taxation and Income Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Lund University, Lund University School of Economics and Management

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Lund University School of Economics and Management is one of eight faculties within Lund University. More than 4 000 students and 450 researchers, teachers and other staff are engaged here in training and research in economic history, business administration, business law, informatics, economics, statistics, and research policy.

Lund University School of Economics and Management is accredited by the three largest and most influential accreditation institutes for business schools: EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB. Only just over 100 business schools in the world have achieved this prestigious Triple Crown accreditation.

The Department of Economic History is a research-intensive department that employs about 80 people: researchers, teachers, technical/administrative staff, and Ph.D. candidates. The department has a large PhD programme and co-ordinates three international Master programmes. The Department has a well-established reputation for wide-ranging research with an emphasis on long-term processes, and with economic theory and quantitative methods as important methodological tools. Strong research areas at the department include economic growth and structural change, innovation, energy and sustainability, development economics, and economic demography, as well as financial history and education and the labour market. More information is available at the Department’s website: www.lusem.lu.se/ organisation/department-economic-history.

Assigned duties

Those appointed to doctoral studentship shall primarily devote themselves to their studies, aimed to result in a doctoral degree. Work carried out during the studentship consists of participation in research projects as well as successful participation in postgraduate (third-cycle) courses. Those appointed to doctoral studentships may also work, to a limited extent, with educational tasks and administration at the Department of Economic history. However, duties of this kind may not comprise more than 20 per cent of a full-time post.

The PhD position is linked to the research project “Taxation and Income Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Historical Comparative Analysis.” The PhD student will work in this project in collaboration with other project members. 

Eligibility/Admission Requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she has:

• Been awarded a second-cycle degree; or
• Satisfied the requirements for courses comprising of at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle; or
• Acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. (Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 7, Section 39)

Specific admission requirements for doctoral studies in each subject are specified in the relevant general syllabus, available at https://www.lusem.lu.se/research/doctoral-studies.

Other requirements

A proficient level of English is required in both written and oral communication. Demonstrated qualitative and quantitative skills are required, and familiarity with historical and comparative research methods is considered a merit.

Basis of assessment

Admittance of a doctoral student is based on an assessment of the candidate’s ability to benefit from third-cycle studies, see the general syllabus for third-cycle studies, available at https://www.lusem.lu.se/research/doctoral-studies.

The applicant’s ability to benefit from third-cycle studies and research will primarily be assessed on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle.

• Quality and content of previous written work, such as a Master’s thesis.
• Ability to participate actively in the Department’s research environment.
• Ability to perform independent scientific work.
• Demonstrated ability or strong interest in conducting historical and comparative research, including the use of archival and documentary sources.
• Demonstrated qualitative and/or quantitative research skills relevant to the study of taxation, inequality, political economy, or long-run development.
• Experience or strong interest in working with historical datasets or macro-level socio-economic data.
• Experience or interest in conducting document analysis and visits on cite for the purpose of studying contemporary African contexts.
• Proficiency in written and oral communication in English.
• Relevant educational background, for example in economic history, economics, development studies, political science, history, or related social sciences.
• Other relevant experiences for third-cycle education, such as research assistance, or policy-oriented work.

Applicants should have a strong interest in understanding the historical and contemporary drivers of taxation and income inequality in sub-Saharan Africa, and the ability to combine quantitative analysis with qualitative methods, including archival research and analytical narrative construction within a comparative research design.

Project

The aim of this project is to understand the conditions that promote more effective use of tax revenue for reducing inequality in sub-Saharan Africa using a historical-comparative approach. The project identifies factors that explain differences in the inequality-reducing role of taxation and strategies that are more likely to promote broader gains from taxation across time and space. The PhD candidate will contribute to the project through research on one or more country case studies, examining historical and contemporary mechanisms linking taxation and inequality, and their implications for inclusive development.

Terms of employment

Start date: 1 May, or as otherwise agreed

Fixed-term employment, maximum four years (full-time studies). 

Only those admitted to third-cycle courses and study programmes at a higher education may be appointed to doctoral student. 

For regulations concerning employment of doctoral students etc., see the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 1-7. 

For regulations concerning admission to third-cycle courses and study programs, see the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 34-41. 

Application procedure

Please use Lund University job application portal when applying: Work at Lund University | Lund University

The application must be written in English. 

The application should contain: 

• Personal letter in which the applicant gives a brief description of him/herself and his/her research interests and its relevance for the project, maximum 3 pages.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Grade transcripts
• Master thesis or similar degree projects
• If appropriate, documented language skills relevant for third-cycle studies. Other documents that the applicant wishes to submit. 

The applicant is encouraged to provide the names of a maximum of two teachers or researchers who are willing to provide references and the department can contact, but recommendation letters should not be included in the application.