PhD in Applied Macroeconomics & Political Economy

PhD Positions in Applied Macroeconomics and Political Economy 100%, Zurich, fixed-term

The Chair of Applied Macroeconomics is associated with the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich and is part of the Department of Management, Technology and Economics (D‑MTEC). We invite applications for one or more PhD positions in Applied Macroeconomics and Political Economy. The positions are based at KOF and affiliated with the Chair of Applied Macroeconomics.

The doctoral researchers will join a supportive and collaborative research environment that brings together empirical research and policy‑relevant questions in macroeconomics, international economics, public finance and political economy.

One of the positions is especially suitable for applicants interested in taxation in a globalised economy. Relevant topics include multinational profit shifting, tax havens, the labour‑market effects of tax competition, the design and political economy of international tax rules, and the macroeconomic and distributional consequences of international taxation.

Research at the Chair focuses on the empirical analysis of macroeconomic and policy‑relevant questions. We work with macroeconomic, microeconomic, firm‑level, household, geospatial and international datasets and apply modern econometric methods, including panel‑data, time‑series and causal‑inference approaches.

Potential dissertation projects may explore:

• how globalization and international policy competition shape fiscal and macroeconomic outcomes
• how multinational firms respond to corporate tax incentives and regulation
• how political institutions, information, economic freedom and electoral incentives influence economic policy
• how firm‑ and household‑level data can contribute to our understanding of business cycles, forecasting, monetary policy, migration and corruption
• other policy‑relevant questions in applied macroeconomics and political economy

The dissertation topic will be developed jointly with the supervisory team. We aim to identify a project that connects with the doctoral researcher’s interests, experience and areas in which they would like to develop further expertise.

As a doctoral researcher, you will develop a dissertation in applied macroeconomics, public finance and/or political economy. With support and guidance from the supervisory team, you will progressively take ownership of your research projects and use econometric methods and relevant macroeconomic and/or microeconomic data to address questions of academic and policy relevance.

Your activities will include:

• developing research questions and research designs and contributing to original academic papers
• collecting, documenting and analysing datasets, which may include firm‑level, country‑level, geospatial, administrative, survey or text data
• discussing and presenting your research at internal seminars, academic workshops and international conferences
• taking part in the research activities of the Chair and KOF, including regular research meetings and seminars
• completing coursework within the D‑MTEC doctoral programme
• depending on your interests and the needs of the Chair, contributing to teaching activities in a limited capacity

The PhD will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Jan‑Egbert Sturm and, depending on the research topic, Dr. Enea Baselgia. The position is intended to lead to a doctoral degree from ETH Zurich.

We welcome applications from candidates with different academic and personal backgrounds. We encourage you to apply even if your experience does not cover every preferred area listed below.

You bring:

• a Master’s degree in Economics or a closely related field, completed by the time the position begins
• an interest in empirical research addressing relevant economic and public‑policy questions
• an interest in applied macroeconomics, international economics, public finance and/or political economy
• a sound foundation in econometrics, statistics and quantitative analysis
• experience with at least one statistical programming language, such as Stata, R or Python, and an openness to learning additional tools
• the ability to communicate your ideas clearly in written and…