Assistant Professor of Public Policy (Market-Based Solutions to Societal Challenges)

Universities of Wisconsin•Madison, WI

47d•Onsite

About The Position

The La Follette School of Public Affairs (LFS) seeks to hire a scholar whose research examines how market-based institutions, competitive structures, and incentive-compatible policy design can address major societal challenges. The successful candidate will conduct theoretically grounded and empirically rigorous research on the role of markets in domains traditionally shaped by public policy, regulation, or collective action problems. We are particularly interested in scholars who analyze how prices, property rights, competition, decentralized information, and institutional design affect outcomes in areas such as: Education/school finance and school choice, Financial regulation and capital markets, Housing supply and land-use reform, Technology policy and innovation markets, Transportation and infrastructure finance, International trade and tariffs, State and local economic development, Climate and environmental policy (e.g., carbon pricing, cap-and-trade systems), Energy markets and grid reform, Agricultural policy and food systems. The candidate may be an economist, political scientist, public policy scholar, legal scholar, or affiliated social scientist whose work engages deeply with the economic logic of markets and institutional design. We welcome scholars using diverse methodological approaches, including structural modeling, reduced-form econometrics, field experiments, institutional analysis, and political economy frameworks. The successful candidate will contribute to teaching in public policy analysis, microeconomics for policy, regulatory policy, and sector-specific policy courses. They will strengthen LFS’s capacity to train students to evaluate when markets succeed, when they fail, how policy can improve their functioning, and how government failure represents an omnipresent risk. Situated at the heart of UW-Madison, the College of Letters & Science (L&S) serves as home to 39 academic departments and numerous research centers, including the La Follette School of Public Affairs. The successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position. Madison is the state's capital city and is well known for offering a small town feel in a medium-sized city. It is a great place to raise a family and offers an ideal combination of natural beauty, stimulating cultural events, outstanding schools and outdoor recreation. The successful candidate will advance the educational mission of the College of Letters & Science that values, prioritizes, and actualizes evidence-based and student-centered teaching and student mentoring. They will contribute to an environment that fosters engagement and a sense of belonging for faculty, staff, students and members of the broader community. The successful candidate, as a member of the College of L&S, will proactively contribute to, support, and advance the college’s commitment to excellence among all aspects of their teaching, mentoring, research, and service. In the College of Letters & Science, we provide a liberal arts education that is both broad and deep through excellent, empathic teaching. We hire faculty who are interested in pursuing difficult questions, making new discoveries, and making an impact in their field. We reward excellent teaching and classroom innovation, and we are committed to shared governance.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Public Policy, Public Administration, Political Science, Law, Economics, Sociology, or a related field by the start of appointment.
Excellence and productivity in research.
Commitment to teaching.
Experience fostering or the ability to foster teaching, learning, mentoring, departmental, and a research environment where all can thrive.
Potential for interdisciplinary collaboration across departments and with various research centers.
Eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment.
Ability to speak to and include evidence of qualifications in application materials.
Clear demonstration of dedication to excellence in student-centered teaching and mentoring.
Showcase ability to purposefully plan teaching practices, evidenced through goals, action plans, reflection, and related documentation.

Nice To Haves

Research examining how market-based institutions, competitive structures, and incentive-compatible policy design can address major societal challenges.
Analysis of market outcomes in specific areas such as education, financial regulation, housing, technology, transportation, trade, economic development, climate, energy, or agriculture.
Scholars using diverse methodological approaches, including structural modeling, reduced-form econometrics, field experiments, institutional analysis, and political economy frameworks.
Scholars who are economists, political scientists, public policy scholars, legal scholars, or affiliated social scientists whose work engages deeply with the economic logic of markets and institutional design.

Responsibilities

Conduct theoretically grounded and empirically rigorous research on the role of markets in domains traditionally shaped by public policy, regulation, or collective action problems.
Analyze how prices, property rights, competition, decentralized information, and institutional design affect outcomes in various policy areas.
Contribute to teaching in public policy analysis, microeconomics for policy, regulatory policy, and sector-specific policy courses.
Train students to evaluate when markets succeed, when they fail, how policy can improve their functioning, and the risks of government failure.
Advance the educational mission of the College of Letters & Science through evidence-based and student-centered teaching and mentoring.
Contribute to an environment that fosters engagement and a sense of belonging for faculty, staff, students, and the broader community.
Proactively contribute to, support, and advance the college’s commitment to excellence in teaching, mentoring, research, and service.