Productivity Institute Phd Scholarship - The Productivity Puzzle: Past, Present, and Future Challenges

The University of Glasgow has a distinguished history of research in business related subjects that spans centuries, beginning with the establishment of the Chair in Moral Philosophy in 1727. This important role, which Adam Smith held in 1752, marks the birth of the subject of Political Economy at Glasgow.

Today, the School is home to enlightened research in the areas of Accounting & Finance, Economics and Management. Our research is rigorous and relevant to today’s business and policy environments. Our staff are engaged with practitioners, organisations, and academic institutions in the UK and abroad, to push the boundaries of knowledge and understanding of business and economics, and work to make a real impact on society.

Our academics have conducted research for public and private sector organisations around the world, financial consultants to Wall Street and City, the UK and Scottish governments, foreign governments and numerous central banks.

The School is made up of three subject areas: Accounting and Finance, Economics, and Management. In addition, there are eleven research clusters that provide a focal point for research activity.

Project details
The University of Glasgow is helping to solve the UK’s productivity puzzle which could mean better jobs and higher living standards, by contributing to a new £32m research institute, the Productivity Institute.

The ASBS is a partner institution in the ESRC Productivity Institute will advance knowledge and ensure it informs the significant decisions by governments and business leaders that can increase productivity.

Economic experts from the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School, will join forces with leading experts from a range of disciplines and backgrounds across the UK, to work directly with policymakers and businesses to better understand, measure, and enable improvements in productivity across the UK.

The Institute will catalyse the co-development of research projects with stakeholders from the policy making and business communities to enable a truly transformational action model that maps research findings into innovative approaches, and policy interventions that boost productivity and bring prosperity gains across the economy, whilst reducing inequalities.

We are looking for highly ambitious students who have an interest in the Economics of Productivity. We are looking for individuals with an eagerness to learn, experiment, develop innovative ideas, and who can work independently. The successful individual will become a fellow of the Institute and will join the PhD community in the School and the Institute. They will have access to significant resources and expertise from across the Institute, including the 40 core world class researchers of the Institute. The possible topics within the realm of productivity include:

• Productivity and labour markets, including the role of migration in shaping labour market outcomes in different countries and/or regions.
• Productivity and financial markets. Financial frictions and firm dynamics. The mapping from firm productivity dynamics to aggregate productivity.
• The role of confidence and uncertainty in the productivity process.

Award details
The scholarship is available as a three year '+3' (PhD only). The programme will commence in January 2021.  It includes

• A stipend indexed to the  (2020-21 rate £15,285 Full-Time).
• 100% Tuition Fee Waiver at the standard Home/EU or International rate.
• Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of up to £2,250 over 3 years (usually up to a maximum of £750 per year).

Application process
All applicants should complete and collate the following documentation, and then attach to a single email and send to email with the subject line 'Productivity Institute PhD Scholarship -  The Productivity puzzle'

• College of Social Sciences funding application cover sheet
• Academic transcript(s): Final and current degree transcripts including grades and degree certificates (and an official translation, if needed) - scanned copy in colour of the original document/s
• Degree Certificate(s) and an official translation, if needed - scanned copy in colour of the original document/s 
• References: 2 references on headed paper (academic and/or professional) - one must be academic, the other can be academic or professional. If required, these can be sent from your referees directly to email with your full name and the CoSS scholarship title to which you are applying as the subject
• Detailing the following:
  • Your research interests.
  • A detailed course description of your Master's research training
  • Details of any other relevant training and skills you have.
  • Your long-term career goals.
  • A  (max 1,000 words) explaining how the above fit with, and can add to, the research project.

Applicants lodge their application via email

Selection process
Applications will be assessed by a selection panel and applicants shortlisted applicants may be asked to attend a remote interview.

All scholarship awards are subject to candidates successfully securing admission to a PhD programme within the Adam Smith Business School. Successful scholarship applicants will be invited to apply for admission to the relevant PhD programme after they are selected for funding.