We offer a great work environment at ERP-HSG with enthusiastic colleagues and researchers.

I'm looking forward to welcome you as a new team member at ERP-HSG.

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 paolo.piacquadio@unisg.ch and Dr. Brian Jabarian at brian.jabarian@chicagobooth.edu
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 paolo.piacquadio@unisg.ch

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.