PhD Position in Behavioral and Welfare Economics (m/f/d)

The Institute of Economic Research and Policy ( ERP-HSG ) at the University of St.Gallen is seeking a highly motivated PhD Assistant to work on the SNF-funded project “Ethical Views and Social Welfare: Theory and Evidence.” The project is led by Prof. Dr. Paolo Piacquadio (University of St.Gallen) in collaboration with Dr. Brian Jabarian (University of Chicago, external co-PI). The start date is flexible but ideally no later than September 2025.

Project Overview:
This interdisciplinary project examines how individuals' ethical views shape social welfare judgments and redistribution policies. The project combines a behavioral component-building on experiments and surveys-with a theoretical component that employs axiomatic methods to formalize ethical and welfare constructs rigorously.

Specifically, the project aims to:
•Identify and comprehensively catalog the diverse and multifaceted range of individuals' ethical views and core values.
•Understand and rigorously analyze the underlying patterns and origins of various ethical perspectives and belief systems.
•Develop innovative axiomatic frameworks to aggregate diverse ethical stances into coherent, actionable measures of social welfare.
•Investigate how ethical heterogeneity influences the design, implementation, and effectiveness of redistribution policies across economic contexts.
•Integrate generative AI into experiments to simulate realistic taxation scenarios and assess informed versus mistaken support.

As a PhD student on this project, you will:

• Develop your independent research.
• Contribute actively to the project's research activities, including designing, coding, and analyzing experiments and surveys.
• Contribute to the organization of workshops, preparation of grant proposals, and provision of feedback on research papers.
• Support the teaching activities of the team.
• Engage with both components of the project: the behavioral experiments (led by Dr. Brian Jabarian) and the theoretical analysis utilizing axiomatic methods (led by Prof. Dr. Paolo Piacquadio).

Your Profile:

• A master degree (completed or near completion) in Economics, with a strong background in behavioral economics, public economics, and/or welfare economics.
• Enthusiasm and ambition for conducting high-quality research.
• Experience with designing and running experiments (lab, online, or field) is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with or openness to axiomatic methods in theoretical analysis is highly desirable.
• Ability to work independently, think creatively and contribute collaboratively in a dynamic team environment.

Application Procedure:
Please submit the following documents online: Cover Letter: Briefly describe your research interests, motivation for joining the project, and how your background fits the position; Curriculum Vitae (CV): Detailing your education, research experience, coding skills, and any publications or working papers; Copies of grade transcripts and certificates (see also https://www.unisg.ch/en/studying/admission/admission-phd/economics-and-econometrics/ )
Reference Letters: Please arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent directly to both: Prof. Dr. Paolo Piacquadio at E-Mail schreiben and Dr. Brian Jabarian at E-Mail schreiben

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin April 1st and continue until the position is filled. For additional information, please contact Prof. Dr. Paolo Piacquadio at E-Mail schreiben

"A place where knowledge is created" - As one of Europe's leading universities of economics and business administration, the University of St.Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, is committed to the education of over 9800 students. The HSG is one of the largest employers in the region and provides an attractive and innovative environment for more than 3300 researchers, educators and professional staff.