A research group at the Global Climate Forum in Berlin is seeking a PhD researcher for a project on financing green transition.

The research group ‘The Political Economy of Financing Large-Scale Transformations: Off-Balance-Sheet Fiscal Agencies in Wars, Reconstruction, and the Green Transition’ (OBFA-TRANSFORM)—funded via the Emmy Noether programme of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and hosted at Global Climate Forum (GCF) in Berlin—offers a PhD position (E13, 50%).

 

We use the Monetary Architecture framework to look at large-scale transformations through the prism of a macro-financial governance process (comprising balance sheet expansion, long-term funding, backstopping against financial instability, and final balance sheet contraction). The group works at the intersection of International Political Economy, monetary theory, and financial history. Our research hypothesis is that off-balance-sheet fiscal agencies played a key role in financing large-scale transformations in the 20th century, and that we can learn from this for dealing with major challenges of the 21st century.

 

The position will start in April 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter). The expected duration of the position is four years. We can offer an initial contract for one year with the outlook of prolongation for further three years (pending approval of the second funding period by DFG).