PhD candidate in law ‐ Conflict of Interest in the Public Sector

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 countries and countries in transition 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, the findings of which will shortly be published in a book by Cambridge University Press. Currently, the Institute’s public sector governance department is working on a number of international projects entailing in‐depth analyses of conflict of interest regulation in transitional and low‐income countries.

PhD topic
Conflict of interest becoming a subject of growing interest at the national and international level, the PhD candidate will write his/her doctoral thesis on adequate regulation of conflict of interest with a focus on countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. More specifically, the candidate will examine different types and instruments of regulation to control conflict of interest in the public sector and mechanisms to effectively implement and enforce regulation in industrialised and developing countries. On the basis of the research conducted, the candidate will identify solutions for the development and enforcement of conflict of interest regulation that take into account the cultural context, as well as strengths and weaknesses of the respective governance systems.

Academic supervision and practical guidance
Professor Dr. iur. Anne Peters L.L.M (Harvard), Vice‐President of the Board of the Institute and Professor of Public International Law at the University of Basel, will be the academic supervisor, assisting the candidate with selecting a specific topic and with the writing process. Practical guidance will be provided by a tutor at the Institute, where the candidate’s work station will be located. This, in turn, will enable the candidate to gain valuable practical insights and to benefit from exchanges with an interdisciplinary team of practitioners at the Institute.

Work conditions and remuneration
The candidate will be expected to dedicate 50% of his/her work hours to the dissertation and to contribute, during the remaining 50 %, to the Institute’s practical work and projects, carried out in collaboration with various donor organisations (OECD, WB, UNDP, SDC, DFID, GIZ among others). The contributions to practical work will focus, to the extent possible, on projects in the MENA region and conflict of interest to allow for synergies. The Institute will ensure an adequate remuneration of the candidate commensurate with his/her experience for an expected duration of 3 years (approximately 3’000 CHF per month).

Requirements

• Graduate degree in law and compliance with the requirements of the Faculty of Law of the University of Basel regarding doctoral studies.
• Additional graduate or undergraduate degrees in political science, sociology or economics would be an advantage.
• Work experience (2‐ 5 years) in the field of public sector governance is desired, especially in the MENA region.
• 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 Arabic and French is desirable.

Deadline for application: October 25, 2011

Applications should include the following: 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