PhD Scholarship on the Firm in the Informal Economy at CBS in Denmark 2019

Copenhagen Business School in Denmark invites applications for PhD Scholarship on the Firm in the Informal Economy in 2019.

The aim of this PhD scholarship 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.

This PhD candidate will be expected to collect rich qualitative and quantitative data and develop rigorous theory to understand how firms in the informal economy structure their organizations. Geographically, this project will focus on industry clusters in Sub-Saharan Africa where the share of the informal economy is higher than in any other region in the world.

The ideal candidate, therefore, has an educational background in the area of organizational theory and/or development studies and possess strong skills in both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Worth of Award

• The scholarships are fully salaried positions, according to the national Danish collective agreement. The scholarship includes the tuition fees, office space, travel grants plus a salary, currently starting with per month app.

• DKK 24.480 (app. 3,284 euro) up to DKK 29.829,76 (app. 4,000 euro) depending on seniority, plus a pension contribution totaling 17,1 % of 85 % of the base salary.

Eligibility

• The PhD program is highly international and you are expected to participate in international research conferences.

• It is also required that the applicant shows an interest in joining the Department’s research environment.
• To be considered, the candidate should have a basic training at the Masters level (similar to the 3 + 2 Bologna process).
• This requirement includes the minimum grade of a weighted grade point average of at least 8.2 on the Danish 7-point grading scale or 9 on the 13-point scale for the entire program (i.e. for both the Bachelor’s and Master’s studies), and at least the grade of 10 for any final thesis or examination project.
• The applicants must be fluent in English.

How to Apply

The application is online and must include:

• A project description (5 pages): This research proposal should contain a presentation of an original research question, a description of the initial theoretical framework and methodology, a presentation of the suggested empirical material as well as a work-plan.

• Copies of a Master’s degree certificate or other certificates of a corresponding level.

• Brief curriculum vitae (CV).

• A list of papers and publications.

• One copy of a selected written work (e.g. Master’s thesis).

• Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices, by the application deadline.

Deadline: Applications close April 15, 2019.

Click here for more details and to apply