Job Description

Until very recently, students of the political economy of finance considered bankers the undisputed masters of the capitalist universe. Since the global financial crisis of 2008, however, we have seen a change of guard. Today, the financial system increasingly revolves around asset managers ? mutual fund providers, private equity and venture capital firms, and hedge funds. Although asset managers serve as the agents of (individual and institutional) wealth owners, their control over ?other people?s money? makes them the pivotal actors in corporate governance, and in matters of capital allocation more broadly.

Brown University invites applications for a two-year Postdoctoral Research Associate in Political Economy at the Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs. We seek a scholar interested in studying the emerging area of asset manager capitalism from a political economy perspective. An explicit focus on inequalities is an asset, as is experience in working with large-scale financial datasets. We encourage research proposals that seek to answer big questions about the political economy of capitalism.

The successful candidate will be working with Prof. Mark Blyth at the Rhodes Center for International Economics and Finance at Brown University (Providence) and with Prof. Benjamin Braun at the European Institute at the London School of Economics (LSE). This is a two-year appointment. It is expected that the successful candidate will be primarily located at Brown with occasional short-term research stays at LSE.

Ability to conduct and write policy-oriented research, as well as academic research, is essential. 

There are no teaching responsibilities. 

The selected candidate will devote 50 percent time to projects at the Rhodes Center and 50 percent time to their own research projects.

The Watson Institute is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community.

Annual salary of $75,000, benefits-eligible position. Additional funding may be made available for research expenses and research-related programming on campus.

Founded in 1764, Brown is a leading research university distinct for its student-centered learning and deep sense of purpose. Brown University students, faculty, and staff are driven by the idea that their work will have an impact on the world. Brown is a place where rigorous scholarship, complex problem-solving, and service to the public good are defined by collaboration, intellectual discovery, and working in ways that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Scholars of all nationalities with a Ph.D. in political science, public policy, sociology, economics, or closely related disciplines will be considered.

Dissertation must be complete by June 30, 2025. Candidates must be untenured and within 7 years of Ph.D.

Candidates should submit a cover letter of application, a CV, graduate transcript, three letters of reference and a short writing sample (approximately 15-25 pages) through Interfolio at  

Applications received by October 15, 2024 will receive full consideration.

Final notifications are expected to go out in January 2025. This two-year Postdoctoral Research Associate appointment will be effective July 1, 2025, and is not renewable.

As an EEO/AA employer, Brown University provides equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon a person?s race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law, and caste, which is protected by our University policies.

About Brown University

Located in historic Providence, Rhode Island and founded in 1764, Brown University is the seventh-oldest college in the United States. Brown is an independent, coeducational Ivy League institution comprising undergraduate and graduate programs, plus the Alpert Medical School, School of Engineering, School of Public Health, Executive Master of Healthcare Leadership and the IE Brown Executive MBA.

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