Postdoctoral Researcher on the Political Economy of Populism (Berlin office)

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy seeks applications for a position as Postdoctoral Researcher on the Political Economy of Populism (Berlin office) The position is located in our Kiel-CEPR Research Hub in Berlin and linked to the research group of Christoph Trebesch. It is strongly research-oriented and funded through the Excellence Cluster SCRIPTS. Your Role There is no teaching obligation and only a very light administrative burden. Your main role is to produce high-quality research. As part of this, you will contribute as a coauthor to a novel research agenda on populism, primarily through data collection and empirical analysis. The project studies quantitatively how and when populist leaders dismantle democratic institutions such as free media, the judiciary and the electoral system. We also ask what makes democracies resilient against illiberal and authoritarian actions. Beyond the project, you will have freedom and support to pursue your own research agenda and develop independent work toward publication in leading journals. Your Profile We are looking for a candidate who meets the following criteria: • PhD in economics, possibly also political science with a strong quantitative focus, or a related field (completed or close to completion). • Excellent academic record and outstanding research potential. • Very strong quantitative and empirical skills. • Experience with very large datasets, historical datasets and/or text-as-data. • Experience and interest in political economy. A previous research focus on populism is an asset. • The working language is English; excellent English skills are therefore required. Some knowledge of German would be useful, but is not essential.