Author Archives: laere

At the University of Göttingen -Public Law Foundation-, Department für Agrarökonomie und Rurale Entwicklung, there is a position as

Research assistant / PhD student (all genders welcome)

Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L/65%

to be filled. Starting date is as soon as possible. The position is limited to 3 years.

The project

The advertised position is part of the DFG-funded research project ‘Designing effective policy instruments for sustainable land transformation’. The rapid expansion of oil palm monocultures in Indonesia has been associated with economic development, but also with major environmental repercussions. It is crucial to identify strategies to reconcile these trade-offs. In this project we aim to use economic experiments in the field to investigate the role of providing monetary and non-monetary incentives to smallholder farmers for fostering a sustainable land use transformation in Indonesia. 

Your tasks

The doctoral researcher will conduct research on the effectiveness of different attributes of Payments-for-Ecosystem-Services schemes to induce adoption of sustainable land use practices, and will explore the relevance of experiential learning as an education tool to increase environmental awareness, values and pro-environmental behavior. The tasks include:

• Design and implementation of field experiments in Jambi, Indonesia
• Empirical analysis of quantitative data using statistical and econometric methods
• Presentation and publication of research results 

Your profile

• Outstanding Master degree in Agricultural Economics, Development Economics or a related discipline
• Strong analytical skills and experience with quantitative research methods; work experience with economic or behavioral experiments is a plus
• Proven interest in topics related to rural development economics and economic incentives or extension services
• Willingness and ability to work under field conditions in the tropics (rural Indonesia); work experience in the tropics is a plus
• Interest in interdisciplinary cooperation; experience of working in intercultural and interdisciplinary teams is a plus
• Excellent command of the English language

The position is based in Göttingen (Germany) but requires traveling and extended research stays in Indonesia. The position is intended to qualify young scientists and offers the opportunity to prepare a PhD thesis. The position is recruited in the research group of Prof. Dr. Meike Wollni. For more information about the Chair Group please visit: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/108411.html. Your complete application package should include motivation letter, CV with the contact details of two referees, university certificates and transcripts, and a 1-2 page summary of your Master thesis.

The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The University is particularly committed to the professional participation of severely disabled employees and therefore welcomes applications from severely disabled people. In the case of equal qualifications, applications from people with severe disabilities will be given preference. A disability or equality is to be included in the application in order to protect the interests of the applicant.

Please upload your application in one pdf file including the usual documents until 1/15/2024 on the application portal of the university using this link: https://obp.uni-goettingen.de/de-de/OBF/Index/74322. For more information get in touch with Adriana Bernal-Escobar directly via E-Mail: adriana.bernal@uni-goettingen.de, Tel. +49 5513924835. 

Please note:

With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data-protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage is provided in the Information General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Special Issue on “Challenges for the development of Latin America in the Anthropocene: current research in environmental economics”

Submission Deadline: 31 January 2024

Environment and Development Economics seeks to publish a special issue on challenges for the development of Latin America in the Anthropocene: current research in environmental economics. The aim of this special issue is to help identify research opportunities and the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to contribute to the design and implementation of policies in Latin America that are both environmentally and economically sound. The issue will be guest edited by Marcelo Caffera and Alejandro López-Feldman.

Latin America faces several environmental challenges, such as increased vulnerability to climate change, loss of biodiversity and urban air pollution. While effective environmental policies are essential to address these challenges, limited political opportunities hinder their implementation. The current social discontent and legitimate demands for short-term employment recovery could further sideline environmental policies. In this context, the use of economic tools that can help evaluate the relative effectiveness of different policies, as well as economic instruments that can help regulators design cost-effective environmental policies, are of the utmost importance.

We are interested in both applied and theoretical papers that provide answers to key environmental and resource management issues in one or more Latin American countries. The call will consider, but will not be limited to, studies that analyze the impacts of climate change; biodiversity loss; the future impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on trade in the region; the political economy of carbon taxes or tradable permits in Latin America; experiences with different economic instruments; impact evaluation studies of environmental policies; and the relationship between health and the environment in the region.

Submission Guidelines: Papers should be submitted by 31 January 2024 at the latest. Early submissions are encouraged and will be processed immediately. Papers will undergo the normal refereeing process. The quality of the paper and the extent to which it fits the focus of the special issue are the criteria for acceptance.

Submissions should be made online at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ede. During the first step of the submission process, in the “Special Issue” field, authors should select “Latin America”. Authors should also indicate in their cover letter that the manuscript is for the “Challenges for the development of Latin America in the Anthropocene: current research in environmental economics” Special Issue.

Instructions for contributors can be found here.

For further information, authors should contact the Guest Editors at the emails below

CALL FOR A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

The research team of the Anillo project “Semi-arid coastal basins as indicators of climate crisis adaptation (SACBAD)” (ATE220055) seeks exceptional and highly motivated candidates for a full-time one-year renewable postdoctoral position. This postdoctoral researcher will work toward the specific objective of understanding and modeling water consumption by agriculture in semi-arid regions impacted by climate change.

The SACBAD project brings together Chilean researchers from the School of Engineering, the School of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Department of Ecology-Faculty of Biological Sciences-, from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC), Universidad de Chile and Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria, in collaboration with an international core of leader researchers in the field.

Candidates must have:

i) A PhD in economics/agricultural economics or related disciplines at the moment of hiring

ii) Experience developing and applying theoretical and numerical models of farmer water use decisions

iii) Excellent communication skills in English. Communication in Spanish (if not the native language) is highly desirable.

iv) Availability to start working at the latest in April 2024.

v) The ability to legally work in Chile or obtain a work visa before the start of the position.

vi) Candidates must not have any standing issue with ANID (Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo de Chile) or with former agency Conicyt.

Applications will be received until December 20th with an ideal starting date in April 2024. We reserve the right to extend the application deadline. 

Postdoctoral responsibilities:

i. Full-time dedication to the project

ii. Coordination of undergraduate and graduate students

iii. Design, development, and management of field/lab experiments and fieldwork within rural Chile

iv. Data analysis and manuscript preparation. v. Publish scientific publications with the project PIs, acknowledging “Proyecto Anillo ATE220055”

vi. Strict confidentiality of unpublished results from the project

vii. Participation in national and international scientific meetings

viii. Participation in outreach activities

ix. Presentation of an annual report of activities

Important dates:

1. Application deadline is December 20th, 2023, 18:00 h (Chilean continental time)

2. Notification of interview for suitable candidates: after January 10th, 2024

3. Online interviews are expected to be January 15-16t

4. Results will be notified after the approval and ratification of the funding agency (Departamento de Iniciativas de Focalización Estratégica ANID) (approximately January 30th, 2024)

To apply please send an email to omelo@uc.cl and svicuna@uc.cl  including:

1) A letter of interest

2) Two recommendation letters

3) Curriculum Vitae

4) Copy of the PhD diploma or certificate

5) Copy of the passport or DNI.

Please use the subject «anillo-SACBAD-application» in your email. Applications must be in English. For more information and for any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at omelo@uc.cl or svicuna@uc.cl For more information, please refer to the attached file.

Este es un amistoso recordatorio sobre el número especial de Environment and Development Economics titulado «Desafíos para el desarrollo de América Latina en el Antropoceno: investigación actual en economía ambiental» que Marcelo Caffera y Alejandro López-Feldman, miembros del consejo editorial de LAERE, están coeditando.