Postdoctoral Fellow in the field of Public Procurement, Auctions and Market Structure

Institute for Industrial and Market Studies

HSE University

Moscow, Russia

Institute for Industrial and Market Studies (IIMS) at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia, invites applications for a postdoctoral research position in the field of Public Procurement and Auctions.

Public procurement is a dynamically developing field in both developed and developing countries. The appearing detailed data about public expenditures through procurement auctions as well as the actively evolving regulation enable researchers to empirically test findings of auction theory and to propose optimal legislative boundaries for procurement regulation. An interaction between retail and procurement markets opens new opportunities for such research. The current project of IIMS studies the effectiveness of public procurement in Russia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia as well as the impact of institutions, market structures and regional elites on the effectiveness. The IIMS mostly focuses on empirical studies of public procurement in the Post-Soviet countries, while theoretical research in auctions as well as empirical research in the field of public procurement, exploiting data from other countries, are also encouraged. A successful candidate is free to join already existing projects or pursue a new research agenda of mutual interest.

About HSE University

The Higher School of Economics (HSE University) is a young, dynamic and fast-growing Russian research university. Over the past 25 years, HSE University has become a leader in Russian education, while also being recognized globally.

For instance, we were the first state-run university in Russia to begin recruiting on the international academic market. We aim at being a university with a highly attuned approach to training new professionals. Therefore, we are eager to hire people with real experience, as well as basic and applied knowledge. Committed to high-quality research, HSE University now has more than 100 research institutes and centres and over 30 international research laboratories collaborating with international specialists from all over the world.

Requirements

The general requirements for the postdoctoral fellowship positions are the following:

• a PhD from an international research university in Economics, Public Policy and Public Administration (got during last 5 years but before the start of the programme);

• a background in data analysis or theoretical modelling;
• ability to work in a team;
• for empirical researchers strong quantitative skills, ability to carry out research using Stata/R/Python or similar software to meet standards of academic journals;
• submission of at least one working paper per year to HSE working papers series;
• full-time research with at least two presentations of results during the year;
• peer-reviewed publications, working papers or a job market paper in the field will be a strong advantage;
• knowledge of Russian is appreciated but is not required.

The position involves:

• working in a research group with Prof. Andrei Yakovlev and Dr. Andrey Tkachenko;
• postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to pursue their own research in parallel with working on IIMS's research projects in three broad areas:
  • Empirical studies of the public procurement auctions;
  • Laboratory as well as field (online) experiments concerning different forms of interactions between government, business and public buyers.
  • Theoretical modelling of procurement auctions from the perspective of incentives and information;
• writing research papers for international peer-reviewed journals with affiliation to the IIMS;
• some methodological classes as well as presentations of the candidate’s own research to researchers in the field are also encouraged;
• participation in organization of the events and other contribution to the Institute’s development.

The Institute offers access to its databases, analytical software and methodological support. Members of the Institute have substantial experience on empirical analysis of procurement auctions and conduct surveys, online experiments with firms and public organizations in Russia. The IIMS has databases on the population of Public procurement auctions in Russia during 2011-2019, databases on the population of public and private firms’ with a broad spectrum of financial and corporate information since 2011. It also has data on economic, political and social development in Russian regions as well as information about Russian regional and federal elites. Available data enables to conduct a comprehensive empirical analysis of procurement auctions and empirically test theoretical models.

Conditions

Appointments are normally made for one year (from September 2021). Postdoctoral fellows have an opportunity of renewal of the contract (no more than two times).

HSE University offers postdoctoral fellows a competitive salary, the standard medical insurance plan, a working space equipped with a computer and free Internet access at the University.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online. Please provide a CV, a statement of research interest and a recent research paper submitted via an online application form. At least two letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru before the application deadline. Please note that direct applications to the hiring center may not be reviewed.

Read more about the application process here.

The deadline for the applications is February 14, 2021.

For more information:

• about Postdoctoral Fellowship - Frequently Asked Questions
• about HSE university – official web-site
• about the Institute for Industrial and Market Studies (IIMS) HSE in Moscow, Russia – official web-site of the Institute  or contact   Dr. Tkachenko directly
• about international specialists' life in Moscow - International Faculty Support page

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru