Project assistant at the department of economic history (PA2026/1269)

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University School of Economics and Management is one of eight faculties within Lund University. More than 4 000 students and 450 researchers, teachers and other staff are engaged here in training and research in economic history, business administration, business law, informatics, economics, statistics and research policy.

Lund University School of Economics and Management is accredited by the three largest and most influential accreditation institutes for business schools: EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB. Only just over 100 business schools in the world have achieved this prestigious Triple Crown accreditation.

Lund University is now seeking a project assistant at the Department of Economic History, School of Economics and Management.

Subject area and duties

The subject area is economic history.

The duties consist primarily of work within the project’s research activities, as well as certain administrative tasks. The position is linked to a project that uses tax records from nineteenth-century Stockholm to reconstruct how living standards developed in female-headed households. Stockholm’s poll tax registers contain information on annual incomes and household composition, making it possible to reconstruct both income and expenditure. To add a dynamic dimension, the project follows female-headed households over time and analyses how living standards changed between the formation and dissolution of households. Within the project, a random sample of 400 female-headed households will be constructed, and their economic life cycles will be reconstructed using modern statistical linkage methods. The results will be compared with previously collected data for 400 male-headed households.

Requirements

• A PhD in economic history
• Documented experience working with large historical databases
• The applicant must also have good knowledge of linking records using STATA and of using the software for statistical analysis

Merits / Desirable qualifications

• Experience working with Stockholm’s poll tax registers, especially from the first half of the nineteenth century
• Experience of research-administrative tasks
• Experience handling and structuring extensive historical source material

Assessment criteria

The primary assessment criterion is the applicant’s scientific and methodological competence in relation to the duties of the position. Particular weight will be given to experience working with large historical databases, preferably Stockholm’s poll tax registers from the first half of the nineteenth century, as well as documented ability to link records and carry out statistical analyses in STATA.

In the assessment, consideration will also be given to the applicant’s ability to handle and structure extensive historical source material, analytical ability, attention to detail, and ability to work within the framework of a research project.

Consideration will be given to how the applicant, through their experience and expertise, can be assessed as complementing and strengthening the department’s research and teaching.

In the selection process, particular weight will be given to:

• Experience working with large historical databases
• Ability to link records and carry out statistical analyses in Stata

In addition, the following will be taken into account:

• Analytical ability and attention to detail
• Ability to handle and structure extensive historical source material
• Ability to work independently and within the framework of a research project.

Terms and conditions

The position is a permanent appointment at 60% of full-time.

Start date: 22 May, or as agreed.

Application:

The application must include:

• A cover letter
• CV
• A description of qualifications
• Degree certificate(s), etc.

Applicants are encouraged to provide the names and contact details of up to two referees, but letters of recommendation will not be considered as part of the application.

Other

Lund University applies individual salary setting. Applicants are welcome to state their salary expectations in the application.