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Post doc on Firms in the Informal Economy with a Special Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa

Submitted by AFAM on Wed, 01/16/2019 - 6:08pm

The Department of Strategy and Innovation (SI) invites applications for a vacant position as post doc. The position is a full-time position for 2 years starting September 2019 or by mutual agreement. The post doc is part of the research project “The firm in the informal economy” funded by the Carlsberg Foundation and headed by Associate Professor Marcus M. Larsen.   

SI employs an international group of 45 full-time faculty members, as well as part-time faculty, post docs, and PhD students. The core research and teaching area of the Department is strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship and international business. SI’s stated aim is to continue to be among the leading departments in strategy and innovation in Europe. 

The aim of this specific project is to explore the drivers and consequences of how firms in a variety of informal economy contexts structure their organizations. As has been a cornerstone in organizational theory for decades, firms must structure their organizations in ways that match the external environment to operate effectively. However, the nature of the informal economy firms may prevent them from effectively realizing the potential of their organizations. For example, the absence of formal contracts to coordinate firm and human resources calls into question the role and effectiveness of non-contractual coordination mechanisms, such as trust, reciprocity, common grounds, and social networks. Moreover, as many firms in the informal economy have no other option than to operate informally due to the costs and difficulties of registration and taxes it is uncertain how they systematize and effectively exploit different coordination mechanisms. 

The post doc will join a group of researchers working in the field of organizational theory with a special focus on unregistered firms in Sub-Saharan Africa. The specific tasks of the post doc are:   

  • work together with members of the research group on one or more sub-projects; 
  • conduct literature search and develop an analytical framework; 
  • contribute with primary data selection (both qualitative and quantitative); 
  • carry out econometric analyses based on the gathered data; 
  • contribute towards achieving the overall project objectives regarding publication and dissemination of the project results. 

Candidates should hold, or be close to completing, a PhD from an accredited institution. They should have a strong research record (or potential) in the area of organizational theory and/or development studies, and first-rate skills in empirical collection and analysis.

For application details, click here