PhD position Migration and Human Capital

Department

Faculty of Economics and Business

Organisation

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, University of Groningen, V24.0432

Job description

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Belonging to the best research universities of Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business offers an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

FEBRI, the graduate school and research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business has one PhD position “Migration and Human Capital” available.

Project description
Migration and human capital are critical factors shaping socioeconomic transformations in the world. This PhD project aims to employ (quasi-)experimental methods to investigate these dynamics through the lens of development economics.

In collaboration with the German Development Bank (KfW) and local authorities, a major focus of the PhD project consists of the impact evaluation of Perspectivas, a program that supports the successful reintegration of thousands of migrant returnees in Central America. These returnees often bring a diverse set of skills, making them potentially valuable contributors to the economies of their origin communities. However, they may face significant obstacles upon their return, such as limited employment prospects, disrupted social ties, and stigma. To address these issues, Perspectivas will implement active labour market policies such as skills training, job search assistance, and psychosocial care. The PhD project seeks to understand the socioeconomic conditions and challenges faced by migrant returnees. By applying (quasi-)experimental methods, researchers will rigorously assess the causal effects of active labor market policies on the productive reintegration of returnees.

Beyond the impact evaluation, the PhD project envisions broader analyses delving into the role of human capital and migration in economic development. Overall, the research will provide valuable evidence on human capital dynamics in the migration context and the effectiveness of migration policies, thereby informing practitioners and contributing to the economics literature.

The PhD position is embedded in the research programme Global Economics & Management of FEB’s Research Institute. The project will be supervised by Assistant Professor Dr Marcello Perez.

Requirements

The ideal candidate is ambitious, highly motivated and wishes to make a career in research. He or she has a thorough training in research skills and has obtained excellent results in the Master phase.

The PhD candidate should have a background (MSc, Research Master) in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Public Policy or Development studies, advanced knowledge of a statistical software such as R or STATA, as well as good command of the English and Spanish languages. Prior field experience in the Global South and experience with handling survey or administrative datasets are of advantage.

Conditions of employment

Contract length: 48 months.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

- A gross monthly salary from a minimum of € 2,872, which increases yearly to a maximum of € 3,670.
- Based on the gross salary you will receive an additional 8% holiday allowance each year in May, and an additional 8.3 % end of year bonus in December.
- A temporary full-time appointment for a period of four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year. PhD candidates usually contribute 20% of their time to teaching in years 2-4.

Starting date: preferably per December 1, 2024

Job Application

The application package consists of the following separate documents 1. Your cv. 2. A motivation letter (1A4 max) and a short study proposal for the PhD project (2 A4 max). 3. A scan of your diploma including transcripts. 4. Proof of English and Spanish proficiency in speaking and writing (native speakers without a language certificate can submit an explanation with supporting documentation). 5. Other relevant documents. The documents 1-4 are compulsory and please note that incomplete application packages will not be taken into account. An assessment may be part of the procedure, consisting of psychological tests and an interview. If you are interested, we invite you to apply preferably until 29 September 11:59pm / before 30 September 2024 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/ Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code We provide career services for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

Additional information

For additional information, please contact:

For more general information
[email protected]

Marcello Perez (for more information on this specific project)
[email protected]

In your application, please always include the job opening ID V24.0432

Digital application form