PhD position "State-Building in Fragile States: Taxation - the missing piece in the puzzle?"
Deadline: 01.10.2021
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) holds a leading position in research on international politics and economy. We also have a special responsibility for communication on these areas. We strive to conduct all our activities with quality, relevance and credibility. We are in an exciting development and employ today around 65 people.
The institute is owned by the Ministry of Education and Research. Our activities are funded by Norwegian and international organisations like the Research Council of Norway and the EU, as well as public and private enterprises. NUPI is located in attractive premises in central Oslo.
About the position
NUPI is seeking a candidate for a three-year PhD position. The candidate will be part of the Research Group on Peace, Conflict and Development, and the research project State-Building in Fragile States: Taxation – the missing piece in the puzzle? (FRAGTAX), funded by the Research Council of Norway (NORGLOBAL). We expect the successful candidate to contribute to fieldwork in Liberia, Mali and Tanzania. The candidate will be based at NUPI in Oslo, Norway.
About the project
As state-building requires predictable income, the primary objective of FRAGTAX is to explain why some countries succeed in building functional tax regimes and others not. In the absence of an autonomous domestic revenue base, the many necessary activities that states are expected to perform and that the international community attempts to assist fragile states in fulfilling – such as protecting borders and the population, providing justice, and delivering basic services – become impossible. We argue that the missing piece in the state-building puzzle is domestic revenue, and the only way this can be raised is through institutional procedures for domestic taxation.
The research challenge is that we remain in the dark concerning how political rule in fragile states work, and under what circumstances other actors inside or outside the state, undermine or explicitly challenge the tax administration of the state. This leads us to ask the fundamental question: Why do some countries succeed in building functional tax regimes and others not? To explain variation in why some states are more successful in building functional tax regimes than others, FRAGTAX has selected three cases with varying forms of political authority over fiscal capacity and taxation: Liberia, Mali and Tanzania.
Qualifications for the position
MA in anthropology, economics, political science, sociology or other relevant disciplines
Good communication, teamwork and networking skills
Fluency in English; ability to read and speak French an advantage
Self-reliant and creative
We offer
An exciting opportunity to combine academic excellence with policy influence
The chance to be part of the leading research institute on international affairs
A young and vibrant work environment with frequent invited speakers and events
Modern office facilities in Oslo
Competitive salary based on NUPI's pay scale. (salary scale 1017 doctoral fellow, NOK 491 200 per year).
Funding that will cover fieldwork, selected conference participation and language editing of academic papers for the PhD dissertation.
Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
How to apply
The application deadline is 1 October 2021. Application address (citing ‘PhD FRAGTAX’ in the subject field). We accept only applications via JobbNorge.
Expected start date is 1 December 2021.
Please submit the following:
Application letter outlining your main research agenda and its match with that of the FRAGTAX project (maximum of 2 pages)
CV
Three references, including phone numbers and e-mail addresses
List and copies of up to 5 relevant publications (including the MA thesis)
Selected candidates will be invited to an interview at NUPI
Candidates should note that NUPI is a research institution that does not give grades or offer any formal doctoral training. The successful candidate will therefore have to apply to a PhD-programme at a university. Such school fees are not covered by NUPI or the project FRAGTAX, (but candidates should note that at Norwegian universities the school fee is very low). The chosen candidate will have a supervisor at NUPI, and a supervisor appointed by the university PhD-programme the candidate has applied to.
Questions regarding the positions can be directed to Project Leader Morten Bøås (mbo@nupi.no).
Generally
We aim, to the greatest degree possible, to have a staff that reflects societal diversity, and encourage all qualified applicants to apply, regardless of gender, cultural background, age, disability or previous periods of leave from the workforce. NUPI will accommodate specific needs relating to disability for new hires and as needed during the interview process.
