PhD research position PhD-position on the influence of management practices on school district performance 
(ref. BAP-2020-124)

LEER is a research and education center of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the KU Leuven. We aim for independent state-of-the-art academic research on educational issues with economic tools (see www.feb.kuleuven.be/leer). 

Project
In the search for economies of scale and driven by New Public Management theories which focus on professionalism and optimization, there is a growing tendency to increase the scale of operations in public sector entities (Alonso et al., 2013). This results in mergers, acquisitions and joint-ventures. The trend is spreading towards education (e.g., Jarl et al., 2012). The Flemish government, for example, is looking for opportunities to implement an increase of scale due to enhanced cooperation among schools. There are a number of examples in recent history: the introduction of school communities in primary and secondary education, or the associations and merges in the higher education (universities and university colleges). During the PhD you will answer the following research questions: 

• How should compulsory education schools be organized in an effective and efficient way?
• How does the organization of compulsory education schools matter for the professionalism and management of schools?  
• What are efficient and effective management practices in education?

Profile
The Research Center ‘Leuven Economics of Education Research’ (KU Leuven) is looking for an enthusiastic and motivated junior scholar to conduct a PhD in Economics. The candidate should have the following qualifications: 

• You hold an EU MSc degree in Economics, Business Economics, Commercial Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, Sociology, or similar. 
• You have a keen interest in scientific research in education economics. 
• Excellent earlier grades, and at least ‘cum laude (honors)’ during master years. 
• You have (starter) skills in statistical, econometric and quantitative data analysis and experience with statistical packages; and are keen on developing these skills further.
• Enthusiastic and motivated to do research. 
• You are proficient in English; your knowledge of Dutch might be an advantage.
• You have very good scientific writing skills.
• You are a team player that is able to work independently. 

Successful candidates are required to enter the PhD program in economics of the Faculty of Economics and Business of KU Leuven (see https://feb.kuleuven.be/research/PhD/PhD). The candidate is required to take on an individual “doctum colloquium” consisting of courses from the Master of Science in Advanced Studies in Economics. Students who have obtained a Master of Science in Advanced Studies in Economics degree from KU Leuven with honors or higher will be exempted from this doctum colloquium. 

Offer

• The candidate is expected to prepare a PhD at the LEER research group under the supervision of Professor Kristof De Witte. 
• We offer a competitive full-time PhD scholarship. The position is for 4 years, conditional upon a positive evaluation after 1 year.
• We offer additional benefits in terms of health insurance, reduced public transport prices, free bicycle use, access to university sports facilities, … 
• KU Leuven offers opportunities to follow academic, skills and career training courses. 
• Working in an attractive international environment. 
• You are expected to participate in seminars and will occasionally be involved in teaching activities including supervision of exams.
• Start date – To be discussed but around September 1, 2020.  
• Once the PhD study is completed, you receive a PhD in Economics. 

Interested?  To apply for the position, please prepare the following documents:

• A curriculum vitae
• An overview of your study results (certified copies of diplomas and transcripts).
• A letter of motivation (max. 500 words): all applicants must provide a letter of motivation.

Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Kristof De Witte, tel.: +32 16 32 66 56, mail: kristof.dewitte@kuleuven.be.

You can apply for this job no later than April 19, 2020 via the online application tool 

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.