Project assistant in Economic History, 5 month, 100% - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Project assistant in research project – Causes and consequences of long-term inequality – Africa’s levels and trends

The Department of Economic History is a research-intensive department that employs about 100 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: http://www.ekh.lu.se/en

Subject area

African Economic History

Tasks

The project assistant will work within the externally funded research project Causes and consequences of long-term inequality – Africa’s levels and trends. The project's primary focus is to calculate changes in income inequality in colonial Africa. Our approach consists of dividing the population of different colonies into income groups, estimating each group's average income and size, and then calculating income differences between groups. We study the driving forces and mechanisms behind different groups' relative economic success or failure.

The research depends on collecting and digitizing raw data from archives in Europe and Africa. The project assistant will work specifically with former Portuguese colonies, Angola and Mozambique, and thus spend a substantial period collecting colonial statistics from archives in Portugal. The sources require knowledge of Portuguese and experience working with colonial archives, but no advanced quantitative analysis is required.  The work duties include data collection and digitization as well as assisting with supplementary information during research and writing of academic texts in English. The work will be carried out with a high degree of independence but also in collaboration with other members of the international research group.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position, the applicant must hold at least a master's degree in Economic History. 

Assessment criteria

The applicant must have experience in archival studies in general while knowledge of colonial archives for Portuguese Africa specifically is a strong merit. He/she should speak and write Portuguese and English fluently. Documented background in the field, mainly proven through previous work and education in the field of economic history and documented knowledge of the history of colonial Africa is a requirement.

The project assistant will spend most of his/her time on-site in Portugal. Being able to show opportunities to stay in Portugal is an advantage.

The following criteria will be applied in the assessment of the applicants:

• oral and written fluency in Portuguese
• oral and written fluency in English
• experience of archives for Portuguese colonies in Africa
• experience in collecting colonial data
• experience in digitizing archival data
• knowledge of Africa's colonial history

Personal qualities such as the ability to work independently, the willingness to cooperate, and the ability to communicate will be considered in the assessment.

Application procedure

Please use Lund University job application portal when applying: http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about/ work-at-lund-university

The application must be written in English and should contain:

1. Personal letter
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Degree transcripts for third-cycle studies in economic history
4. Master thesis or similar degree projects in economic history
5. Other letters of reference or documents that the applicant wishes to submit

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