PhD candidate in law - Conflict of Interest in Donor Organisations

Background
The Basel Institute on Governance is an independent and non-profit think tank conducting research and offering policy advice and capacity building support in public, global and corporate governance/compliance. Through the International Centre for Asset Recovery, it further provides training and advisory services in the field of asset recovery. On grounds of its academic research the Institute provides assistance to developing and transition countries in the assessment and implementation of public sector reforms particularly with regard to their anti-corruption legislation and institutions. In May 2010, the Institute hosted an interdisciplinary conference on conflict of interest and is currently developing a publication based on the findings of this conference. The Institute is currently working on a number of projects, which involve analysis of conflict of interest regulation in transitional and low-income countries.

PhD position
The PhD candidate will develop a doctoral dissertation (in English) on types and instruments of regulation to control conflict of interest in international organisations and the international civil service. The focus will be on describing what the standards of conduct are with regard to the notion of conflict of interest, identifying what relevant conflict of interest situations for international civil servants are as well as analysing how conflict of interest is managed and sanctioned in the international organisations. Professor Dr. iur. Anne Peters L.L.M (Harvard), Vice-President of the Board of the Institute, will be the academic supervisor. The supervisor will be assisting the candidate in selecting a specific topic and on the writing process. In addition, the candidate will benefit from exchanges with an interdisciplinary team of practitioners at the Institute. The Institute cannot provide for remuneration, but will support the candidate in applications for scholarships to ensure funding for the research. Also, the Institute may provide remuneration for contributions to its project work in collaboration with various donor organisations (OECD, WB, UNDP, SDC, DFID, GIZ among others).

Requirements

• Graduate degree in law and compliance with the requirements of the Faculty of Law of the University of Basel regarding doctoral studies.
• Work experience in donor organisations in the field of public sector governance would be an advantage.
• Strong interpersonal competence and ability to work in different cultural contexts.
• Demonstrated interest in and ability to conduct independent research and analysis.
• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language, French or Russian in particular, is desirable.

Deadline for application: October 25, 2011
Applications should include detailed curriculum vitae, cover letter, publication record and 2 examples of written work. Incomplete applications or late submissions will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Please submit full application to:
Ms Andrea Poelling, Head of Resources & Operational Support, andrea.poelling@baselgovernance.org