Research Assistants in Economics of Populism (Berlin)
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy is seeking Research Assistants in Economics of Populism (Berlin). We are looking for up to two highly motivated research assistants to support a new research project on populist leaders in government. The positions are embedded in the research group of Prof. Christoph Trebesch and will be supervised by Dr. Max Deter. The project, “From Populist to Dictator”, builds an event-level database of illiberal actions taken by populist leaders since 1900 and studies how these actions unfold over time and how they relate to economic and financial-market outcomes. It is also part of the SCRIPTS Cluster of Excellence.
In this role, you will work closely with postdoctoral scholars as well as more senior faculty of the Kiel Institute to support them in their research.
Your Role:
As a research assistant in the Research Group of Prof. Dr. Christoph Trebesch, you will play a key role in building the data foundation of the project. The research topics include:
- Economics of Populism
- Illiberal actions of populist leaders (e.g. against the judiciary, the media, elections, and state employees)
- Economic policies of populist leaders
- Financial market reactions to illiberal actions
- Economics of Autocracies
- Sequencing illiberal actions: how and when populists in government turn into autocrats
- Constraints on leaders and the role of institutions, civil society and international actors
- Business freedom and cronyism under populist and autocratic rule
Your responsibilities will include:
Research Assistance
Providing research assistance for the project’s data work and for further projects of the group. These tasks include:
- AI-assisted event coding: using large language models and a structured codebook to extract events (action, date, outcome) on populist leaders from country reports, news archives and academic literature
- Source verification: checking coded events against the original document, recording verbatim quotes for action, date and outcome, and flagging events that cannot be confirmed
- Assist in compiling, cleaning and harmonizing the resulting dataset, including checks for duplicates, inconsistent dates and missing sources
- Assist with documenting research processes (codebook, coding decisions, source logs) and maintaining organized research files and datasets
- Assist with data visualization, tables, and figures for papers and presentations
- Conduct background research on populist leaders, country cases and their institutional context
- Support the preparation of research papers, reports and policy briefs
Project Management
- Assist with day-to-day administrative and organizational tasks
- Help organize seminars, workshops, and other events (both online and in-person), including managing invitations and participants
Your Profile
We seek candidates who have the following qualifications and experience:
- Enrolled in a Master’s program in economics, political science or a closely related quantitative subject in a German University. Applicants should intend to remain enrolled as a student for at least one more year.
- An excellent academic record
- Attention to detail, also when working through long documents and large numbers of cases
- Careful and critical use of AI tools: willingness to check every AI-generated claim against the original source and to document how a result was obtained
- Strong interest in political economy, including topics such as populism, democratic backsliding, autocracy and political institutions; an interest in geoeconomics, international finance or sanctions is a plus
- Fluency in English (minimum C1 level). German skills are not required.
- Previous experience as a research assistant is a plus
- Reading knowledge of further languages (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian) is a plus
- Programming skills in Stata or Python are a plus, as is familiarity with Overleaf (LaTeX) or Claude Code.
- Very good interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills as well as a proactive, solution-oriented mindset
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to meet deadlines
- Ability to work independently
We are offering
- Flexible working arrangements; the primary work location is Berlin, with the possibility of remote work.
- Up to 37 hours/month
- Research assistant (with completed Bachelor’s degree): 16,20€/hour
- Fixed-term contract for one year (with the option of extension)
- Planned start: 1 December 2026.
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy values diversity. We welcome applications regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. The Kiel Institute is an equal opportunity employer with a certified family-friendly policy. We promote the professional opportunities of women and strongly encourage them to apply. Women with equivalent qualifications, competence and expertise will be given preference. We are committed to employing persons with recognized disabilities and will therefore give them preference over persons without disabilities if they are equally qualified. We welcome all applications, regardless of nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, age and sexual orientation.
In order to be eligible for this position you have to hold EU citizenship or need to be able to provide a work permit that is valid throughout the time of your contract.
The Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)” examines why liberal democracies around the world face growing pressure and what strengthens their resilience. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under the German Excellence Strategy since 2019, SCRIPTS is hosted by Freie Universität Berlin and partners with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Hertie School, the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. The selection is done according to the SCRIPTS Diversity Rules & Guidelines.
Please submit your application online using ID-No. “2026_Populism_Hiwi”.
Please include (i) a letter of interest, (ii) your CV, (iii) university transcripts, as well as (iv) proof of relevant work experience. Ideally submit just one PDF, including the ID-No. and your family name as file name.
The deadline for applications is 15th November 2026. Application photos should not be included.
For additional information, please contact Max Deter.
