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 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 the public sector and mechanisms to implement and enforce regulation in developed and developing countries. The aim will be to identify solutions to controlling conflict of interest that take into account the cultural context, strengths and weaknesses of the local governance systems with a focus on countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Professor Dr. iur. Anne Peters L.L.M (Harvard), Vice-President of the Board of the  Institute, will be the academic supervisor.

The candidate will be provided a workstation at the Institute. 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 will ensure an adequate remuneration of the candidate commensurate with her/his experience for an expected duration of 3 years.

The candidate will be expected to focus on the research for her/his doctoral thesis during 50 % of her/his work hours and contribute to the Institute’s practical work in collaboration with various donor organisations (OECD, WB, UNDP, SDC, DFID, GIZ among others) during the remaining 50 %.