Post Details
4 PhD Studentships in Economics and/or Behavioural Science at
Stirling Management School
Full-Time with Start Date on October 1st 2016 (with some
flexibility)
Closing date: 5pm on 8th July 2016
Salary: EU Fees plus £14,000 per annum
The Post
Description of Duties
Project 1: Understanding career inequality in Scotland
and the UK
This 3-year PhD studentship, jointly funded by the Economic
and Social Research Council and Skills Development Scotland (SDS), is targeted
at a highly motivated individual who wishes to work with our team on a study on
a project entitled "A Lifespan Approach to Understanding Equality of
Opportunity and Career Development in Scotland and the UK" . The
successful applicant will conduct their PhD either in Economics or in Business
and Management working with Professor Liam Delaney and Dr. Michael Daly of the
Stirling Management School Behavioural Science Centre. This project will
utilise the substantial cohort study data available in the UK to examine the
drivers of labour market inequality across the UK with a particular focus on
Scotland and differences between Scotland and RUK. The project will apply
longitudinal data analysis techniques to examine gender, ethnic, disability,
religious and socioeconomic differences in key education and employment
outcomes across the life-cycle. We will utilise the National Child Development
Cohort Study, British Cohort Study, Understanding Society and other large UK
data-sets. We will examine the extent to which inequalities interact with the
development of a wide range of hard and soft skills throughout childhood and
adolescence, providing key information on the potential importance of such
skills to labour market outcomes across the lifespan. We will publish the
findings in a range of academic journals in economics, psychology and wider
social science. The work builds on our previous SDS-funded project which has
published several papers in top-tier journals examining the role of mental
health and non-cognitive traits in shaping labour market outcomes. We will
continue to disseminate the findings of this work to policy-makers and the
wider public through our active social media and workshop programme and in
conjunction with the SDS. The PhD student will be guided to work within this project
but given substantial support to develop their own independent ideas within the
overall topic.
Eligibility: Please see details of whether you are eligible
to apply on the relevant
ESRC website
Project 2: Microsimulation
models of devolved taxes and benefits
This project seeks to develop and enhance models of devolved
taxes and benefits across the UK. The intention is to calibrate the effects of
the new tax and welfare powers that have been devolved to Scotland and Northern
Ireland. It may also involve analysis of the new fiscal powers that may be devolved
to the Welsh Assembly and to English local government. We seek a suitable PhD candidate with strong quantitative
skills and an understanding of UK fiscal structures who would enhance our
existing micro-simulation models for the purpose of policy simulation and
forecasting. This would require an economics graduate with a masters degree
that includes a strong element of econometric analysis. The applicant will be involved in our developing
collaboration with a number of institutions outside Scotland which have an
established track record in fiscal analysis, including the Institute for Fiscal
Studies in London.
Project 3: Behavioural
Economics and Retirement Saving
This project, co-funded by Prudential and Stirling, examines the behavioural economics of
retirement saving in the UK, with particular reference to retirement
preparedness in the context of the recent changes in annuities regulations in
the UK. The programme of research will progress over three years. The first
year will be devoted to the development of a comprehensive review of the
behavioural economics literature on retirement saving, annuities and related
issues, with particular reference to the policy implications of the recent
change to the annuities regulation in the
UK. The second year will be devoted to the development of research papers
examining the impact of these changes on retirement behaviour in the UK, and
the development of survey instruments to examine
a range of retirement-related behaviours. The third year will be devoted to the
production of a series of papers on retirement behaviour in the UK pre and post
the annuities reforms. This research has the potential for high academic
impact, given the uniqueness of the policy change, and the potential for the
construction of new data in this area.
The project addresses a strong business need for companies to understand how consumers are using the new freedoms available to them since the reform of annuities in 2015. Consumers are now free to cash in their pension pots as lump sums at retirement, rather than purchasing an annuity. This is a radical change that has sent shock-waves throughout the industry and it comes with a range of complex potential costs and benefits for both consumers and firms. Objective information on how consumers are using these freedoms would heavily inform the public debate, as well as allowing the large providers to reposition their products and long-run strategic plans to adapt to this very different market reality. The student will be supervised by Professor Liam Delaney and Michael Daly. The successful candidate will be located in the division of Economics, and will also be part of the Stirling Management School behavioural science research centre.
Project 4: Risk Perceptions, Risk Communication Strategies,
and Consumer Behaviours
This 3-year Ph.D.
studentship is jointly funded by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and University
of Stirling. We seek highly motivated
individuals with a keen interest in working with our team on a project titled
“Risk Perceptions, Risk Communication Strategies, and Consumer Behaviours”. This Ph.D. research is
motivated by the need to investigate the effectiveness of risk communication
strategies, such as public awareness campaigns, that aim to motivate positive behaviour change towards best
food-handling practices to prevent foodborne cases. This is a key priority area
due to the persistent food safety issues and significant health, societal, and
economic costs of foodborne cases to the country in each year.
The research will use a unique applied
microeconometrics framework that integrates approaches from the Stated
Preference Elicitation with insights from the behavioural economics (e.g.,
nudges, framing). This will lead to a deeper understanding of consumers’ risk
perceptions, attitudes, and preferences for different
forms of food safety information delivery. The study will contribute to academia and policy by
investigating a current public policy issue in a real-setting by developing an information campaign with FSS in
Scotland. Using various campaign
treatments and consumer choice surveys, we will compare a range of
communication strategies. The
rich consumer choice and behavioural data will be analysed using various
advanced econometric choice models that accommodate for individual differences.
The modelling framework will be based on consumer choice theory and random
utility theory and will be augmented with behavioural insights and individual attitudes.
The student will be supervised by Dr Erdem and Dr Campbell
from the Economics Division, and Dr Jacqui McElhiney from Food Standards
Scotland. Erdem has expertise in food safety economics, eliciting consumer
perceptions, preferences and decision-making. She has published several papers
in internationally renowned journals and has successful Ph.D. supervision
(completed and ongoing). Campbell has expertise in economic evaluation in
agricultural and food economics, particularly in choice modelling. He has an
extensive experience in supervising PhDs. McElhiney is the Head of Food
Protection Science and Surveillance Branch at FSS. She will provide technical
expertise as appropriate along with colleagues in FSS. We expect the student to
make regular visits to FSS to access relevant data and resources, as well as to
foster knowledge exchange. The Ph.D. student will take at least 3 graduate (or
equivalent) level modules during their Ph.D.:
either internal (e.g., the econometric course(s), behavioural economics and
statistics modules within the School); or from the SGPE or targeted summer
school modules. Additionally, they will receive training from both Erdem and
Campbell on the econometric methods during their Ph.D.
Essential Criteria
Strong interest in research relevant to the project.
MSc training in economics, behavioural science or relevant social science disciplines, including
evidence of (advanced) econometrics/statistics
training experience.
Econometric modelling skills and proficiency in a
statistical package, such as STATA, SPSS, R or OxMetrics.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Ability to work individually and autonomously as well as the
potential to work as part of a
team.
Desirable Criteria
Specific knowledge of techniques for panel data
analysis.
Existing experience directly in the area of the topic applied.
Evidence of active engagement with the area of the topic
applied including student publications, internship experience and social media
activity.
Experience of
preparing research papers.
Additional Information
About the Stirling
Management School Behavioural Science Center
Formed in 2012, the Behavioural Sciences Centre is an
interdisciplinary research centre which brings together approaches from
economics and psychology to address the key
questions in society, such as how to better understand and foster economic and
industrial prosperity, decision making and behaviour, and health and
well-being. The centre pursues these
goals through basic science and applied research, educational programmes, and
industrial collaborations. Full details of the work of the behavioural science
centre at Stirling are available at the website below. We strongly encourage
candidates to explore this website.
About Stirling
Economics Division
The Economics Division at The University of Stirling
Management School is committed to the pursuit of excellence in both research
and teaching. Our Division is a lively community with friendly and
approachable academic staff. We consistently perform well in national
rankings and league tables. For example:
- We
are ranked 3rd in Scotland (2016 Guardian
League Table)
- We
scored 91 for course satisfaction (2016 Guardian League
Table)
- The
University was also placed in top 5 in the UK for being a
“best-value” University (Telegraph, 2012).
- Our
School is ranked among the top 25 institutions in the UK for
Business and Management (The Higher Education Research Excellence
Framework, 2014).
Our staff have undertaken prominent work in
a number of key areas:
- Environmental,
Resource and Energy Economics,
- Public
Health Economics
- Behavioural
Economics
- Work,
Wellbeing, and Ageing
We are heavily involved in policy-relevant work, have strong links with the business community and
have a strong culture of collaboration.
For more information about research in Economics, visit http://www.stir.ac.uk/management/research/economics/.
How to apply:
Applicants should send a 2-page CV, academic transcripts and
a 2-page cover letter to economics@stir.ac.uk before July 8th 2016 at 5pm.
The cover letter should set out which project you are applying for and why you
are interested in the project and in pursuing a PhD at Stirling. Applicants will be
notified in mid-July. We also require proof of English language
proficiency (if English is not your first language). Please indicate the name
and contact details of two referees.
Informal enquires should be addressed to
Professor Liam Delaney Liam.Delaney@stir.ac.uk (Projects 1
and 3)
Professor David Bell d.n.f.bell@stir.ac.uk (Project 2)
Dr. Seda Erdem
seda.erdem@stir.ac.uk (Project 4)
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