Two 2-year Postdoctoral Research Positions in Economics

Department of Economics and Management, University of Padua; Padova; In loco; EUR 34.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

A prominent academic institution in Italy is seeking two postdoctoral researchers in Economics for two 2-year positions. The roles involve conducting research on public debt dynamics and sustainability preferences. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or be nearing completion and demonstrate strong quantitative skills. The positions offer a gross annual salary of approximately €33,600.

Competenze

• Hold a Ph.D. in Economics or be near completion by 31 March 2026.
• Demonstrate potential for publication in leading economics journals.
• Exhibit strong quantitative and analytical skills.

Mansioni

• Conduct research on public debt dynamics and design optimal fiscal policies.
• Investigate preferences and behavioral constraints in sustainability contexts.

Conoscenze

Quantitative analysis

Analytical skills

Research publication potential

Formazione

Ph.D. in Economics

Strumenti

Machine learning

Econometric tools

Descrizione del lavoro

Two 2-Year Postdoctoral Research Positions in Economics

Department of Economics and Management (DSEA)
University of Padua, Italy

The Department of Economics and Management (DSEA) at the University of Padua invitesapplications fortwo 2-year postdoctoral research positions in Economics. These positionsare funded through theExcellence Project 2023–2027“Evaluating Sustainability-relatedActivities”, a research initiative focused on the measurement and evaluation of sustainability,for which the DSEA was awarded funding.

Research Areas:

The positions are associated with the following two research projects:
1.Public Debt and Democratic Resilience:
This project aims to establish robust empirical evidence on the drivers of public debtdynamics and to design optimal policies that ensure debt sustainability while aligningwith economic agents’ incentives. The goal is to safeguard democratic institutions
through informed fiscal strategies.
2.Sustainability Preferences, Behavioral Constraints, and Predictive Policy Design:
This project investigates individuals’ preferences, willingness to pay, and openness tochange in the context of environmental, social, and intergenerational sustainability. Itcombines high-frequency surveys, lab experiments, discrete choice experiments, and
structural modeling to inform effective policy design under behavioural and politicalconstraints. Building on recent advances in predictive policy analysis, a goal is also todevelop and apply methods for ex-ante policy evaluation—leveraging short-run
experimental and quasi-experimental data to predict long-run impacts. This includesthe use of surrogate indexes and the application of machine learning and econometrictools to optimise policy targeting and enable real-time policy adaptation.

Candidate Profile:

We welcome applications from candidates working in any field of economics, thoughalignment with the research themes is desirable. Candidates must:

• Hold a Ph.D. in Economics or be near completion (Ph.D. must be completed by31 March 2026at the latest);
• Show evidence of potential to publish in leading international economics journals;
• Have strong quantitative and analytical skills appropriate for empirical and/or theoretical work.
• Salary:Approx. € 33.600 gross per year [the Italian taxation authority offers a generous tax break nearly offsetting taxation for all individuals, regardless of their nationality, who were tax residents outside of Italy during the previous two years prior to joining. Individual circumstances apply, for more information, please read here ]
• (Optional) Job Market Paper or representative research work
• (Optional) Cover letter outlining fit with the research themes

Selection Process:

The official selection process entails a formal application according to the official call forapplications which will be published in the section ‘Lavora con noi / Ricerca / Assegni diRicerca’ availablehere.

About Us:

The University of Padua is committed to equal opportunities, diversity, and inclusion. TheDSEA is recognized as one of the leading Italian research institutions in economics and offersa dynamic and supportive academic environment.
Learn more about our departmenthere

Department of Economics and Management "Marco Fanno"