Blavatnik School of Government, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG About the Blavatnik School of Government Our vision is of a world better led, a world better served and a world better governed. We are a global school committed to improving the quality of government and public policymaking worldwide, through three routes: teaching current and future leaders ; generating research with impact ; and engaging with governments and practitioners. What we offer The School is a collaborative, friendly, and dynamic department based in an award-winning building in Oxford. We host regular events and talks with well-known guest speakers – all of which are open to staff. On the social side, we have regular coffee/cake mornings for staff, a family-friendly Halloween event, and Christmas and summer parties. As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:
1. An excellent contributory pension scheme
2. 38 days’ annual leave
3. Family leave schemes and a comprehensive range of childcare services
4. Cycle loan scheme and discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans
5. Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs
6. Opportunities for hybrid working
More information about working at the School can be found on our About the role Dr on behalf of the Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE) at the Blavatnik School of Government and Department of Economics is looking for a postdoctoral research fellow with an interest in urban lab or markets in developing economies, particularly how to reduce search and matching frictions and increase firm demand for labour to increase employment, earnings and productivity. The fellow will both conduct their own research projects in this area and collaborate as a co-author on an ambitious series of projects in South Africa and Kenya, for which large-scale funding has been secured. There is also potential to be involved in policy work advising the South African government on design of unemployment services, if candidates are interested in more applied work. This post is fixed term for 3 years. We expect the successful candidate to be able to start between 1 July and 1 September 2025. About you You will engage in original, world-class research of a quality commensurate with publication in leading international economics journal in an area relevant to the programme of research, both in collaboration with the principal investigators and independently, and present original research papers at international conferences and seminars. You will also contribute to and/or collaborate on other new and continuing research projects conducted by the Principal Investigators, with scope for new single authored and jointly authored research. It is essential to hold a PhD or equivalent in economics, public policy, development studies with a focus on development economics. Candidates nearing completion of their doctoral dissertation may also be considered. Previous experience in designing and conducting lab and/or field experiments or research in developing countries or an alternative methodological expertise of relevance to the programme would be desirable. Application process