Postdoctoral Research Position in Applied Economics

Institute of Economics

Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) is a young and lively university, a hub of opportunity
open to the world where students are offered a quality interdisciplinary education in which
they can be fully engaged and take center stage, and where our researchers can count on
having the space to freely pursue their initiative.
Established in 1996, USI is in constant evolution, always taking on new challenges while
remaining true to its three guiding principles: quality, openness and responsibility.

The Institute
The Institute of Economics (IdEP) at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) in Lugano,
Switzerland, invites applications for one postdoctoral research position in the context of the
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) Sinergia project: “Institutional Foundations of
Industrialization, Financialization, and Globalization of the Swiss Economy. Evidence from 140
Years of the Commercial Registry” (https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/209465). Project leader:
Prof. Raphael Parchet.

The project
The project builds on a set of records in the Swiss Commercial Registry, published daily
since 1883, from which we will produce a unique dataset of 140 years of Swiss corporate
history featuring information about firm key characteristics, purpose, owners and finance.
The project aims at shedding light on i) the history of firms and business groups in
Switzerland, ii) the role of taxation and other local legislation on firms’ location decisions and
organization, iii) with a particular focus on the ownership structure.

The project is multi-disciplinary and international.

The PostDoc Position
The candidate will be integrated and collaborate with the entire research team encompassing
researchers located at USI (Marco D'Ambros, computer science), ETH (Elliott Ash, law and
economics), University of St. Gallen (Anna Stünzi and Tina Freyburg, political science), and
the University of Liège (Malka Guillot, economics).

The Institute of Economics at USI an exciting research environment, competitive terms and
conditions, and generous research support. The annual salary ranges from CHF 80,000 to
85,000 (USD 80,000 to 85,000). The appointment is initially for up to three years with annual
renewals. The position can potentially be extended by participating in competitive funding
opportunities (e.g. SNF Ambizione, Marie Curie, etc.).

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Candidates’ profile
The successful candidate is a young researcher holding (or being close to completing) a
PhD in Economics. (S)he will conduct independent research while concurrently contributing
to the main research project.

Knowledge of Italian is not a requirement. Experience in Natural Language Processing
considered as a plus.

General terms
Applications received by December 1, 2023 will be given priority. The starting date is
September 1, 2024, but an earlier date is also possible.

Interviews will be conducted online subsequently and on the European Job Market (EJM) on
December 11-14, 2023 until the position is filed. Owing to the large number of applications
received, only those applicants whose profiles are likely to fit the position will be notified for
further details and eventual interviews.

The Application
To inquire for this position, please submit a cover letter, two reference letters, a CV, a job
market paper to EconJobMarket. For questions on the position, please
email: raphael.parchet@usi.ch.

As an institution that values diversity, USI particularly encourages applications from women
and from all individuals from underrepresented groups.

Lugano, November 8, 2023