Postdoc in International Environmental Economics

Background and scope of the research

Industrial raw materials such as copper, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are critical inputs in countless production processes, including renewable energy, lithium batteries, and other inputs supporting the green transition. Many developing countries simply export raw materials while most value added is generated in advanced economies, which lowers global consumer prices but does little to reduce poverty and global inequality. Many countries therefore started to voluntarily restrict raw material exports, often to promote local processing industries. Does that put them on a path to prosperity, and what are the implications for trade, global value chains, and the energy transition?

The post-doc joins an international team of three professors (VU, Erasmus Rotterdam, NHH Bergen) and a PhD student (VU). The subproject that is to be the main focus of the post-doc position is either the political economy of industrial policy, such as how voluntary export restrictions are created, designed, and implemented, including travel to Indonesia for possible qualitative research, or studying the environmental impact of mining in Indonesia. Development of other related research is encouraged.

Your tasks

• Review the literature on the political economy of industrial policy.
• Conduct quantitative on, and/or qualitative research in, Indonesia.
• Contribute to high-quality research paper in cooperation with project team members.
• Present research-in-progress at workshops/conferences.

Requirements:

The potential candidate should:

• have a Ph.D. in economics, or a related discipline.
• have up-to-date knowledge on the latest quantitative and/or qualitative research methods aimed at identifying causal effects.
• have high academic writing skills and ability to publish in the leading academic journals.
• be able to collaborate in groups as well as work individually.
• be proficient in written and spoken English; working knowledge of Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia is recommended.

Salary Benefits:

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.378,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.331,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE. We offer a temporary contract for the duration of one year.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

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