Postdoctoral Fellow-Climate Economics at Stockholm Environment Institute

The Postdoctoral Fellow will be part of the SEI Africa Climate and Energy research cluster and work in a participatory, stakeholder-centred, co-development environment. They will work with a broad group of stakeholders, including national and subnational policymakers, international organizations, climate scientists, economists, research institutions, data providers, civil society organizations, and climate at-risk and vulnerable groups and communities.

Key duties and responsibilities

Bottom-up costs and benefits analysis

Based on inputs from the climate modelling team, the Postdoctoral Fellow will deliver economic assessments of proposed climate policy actions emanating from climate modelling and impact assessment studies. Key tasks include but are not limited to:

• Design and application of a robust methodology relevant to assessing the economic and fiscal impacts of proposed climate policy actions emanating from the climate modelling and impact assessment studies, taking into account the global greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, the ensemble of downscaled global climate models, and measures included in the proposed policy matrix.
• Working closely with SEI, the ), government departments and experts to collect and source relevant data for analysis.
• Bottom-up scenario analyses to assess regional and national-scale economic impacts of climate-related disasters (floods and droughts) for selected African countries, stemming from the modelling and impact assessment studies, and associated direct and indirect costs on key climate-sensitive economic sectors, including energy, agriculture and food systems, forestry, tourism, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• Bottom-up scenario analysis of the health costs of climate change, including the costs of lost labour productivity from illness and premature deaths attributed to climate-related disasters (floods and droughts) and declining urban air quality.
• Bottom-up scenario analysis of the costs of climate-related disasters on infrastructure, including the potential direct and indirect costs of property damage from increased flooding and infrastructure damage from rising global temperatures.
• Bottom-up scenario analysis of potential economic benefits of proactive adaptation measures for energy, agriculture and food systems, forestry, ecosystems, biodiversity, tourism, infrastructure and health, projected by each climate model and emissions scenario in terms of avoided damages.

Top-down macroeconomic impact assessment

Based on inputs from the bottom-up cost-benefit analyses, the Postdoctoral Fellow will deliver macroeconomic assessments to help governments, businesses and consumers make informed decisions. Key tasks and/or expected outputs include but are not limited to:

• Integration of the findings of the bottom-up costs-benefits analysis into top-down macroeconomic models of selected African economies to simulate national-scale economic damages from climate impacts, including jobs and income losses, cost of living, export losses, productivity and GDP losses, investment risks, and government spending through the end of the century, for the same global greenhouse gas emissions scenarios and the ensemble of downscaled global climate models.
• Integration of the findings of the bottom-up costs-benefits analysis into top-down macroeconomic models of selected African economies to simulate national-scale economic benefits of proactive adaptation measures, including avoided direct costs, such as avoided disruption of supply chains, avoided loss of labour productivity, and avoided loss of income.

• covering the aforementioned sectors’ context, proposing fiscal policy reforms and investment opportunities, and describing the rationale and challenges for implementing the policy reforms and transmission mechanisms, while outlining the economic benefits of the policy reforms on the aforementioned climate-sensitive sectors, clearly stating the underlying assumptions, including the possible adverse scenarios that are being assessed.
• Additional support and contributions, as required, including drafting of peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and policy briefs, as well as the preparation of project concept notes, research proposals and grant applications in accordance with SEI strategic objectives.

Who you are

We are looking for a researcher with a strong interest and proven track record in analysing the economics of climate change, including the ability to manage large datasets and interpret complex economic and financial models.

Essential qualifications, skills, and competencies

• A PhD in applied economics or a related field with 4 to 6 years of in-depth experience in climate micro- and macroeconomic modelling and comparative analytics, including cost effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis of development programs, and knowledge of public financial management.
• Proficiency in applying advanced economic theory to analyse and design policies related to climate change.
• Peer-reviewed publications on micro- and macro-microeconomic modelling of the fiscal policy of climate change is a must.
• Results-oriented, as demonstrated by good planning and organizational skills, with the ability to meet tight deadlines, manage competing demands, and work effectively under pressure.
• Demonstrable track record of fundraising from a variety of funding agencies.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strategic partnerships and to communicate and advocate across a diverse range of stakeholders, including media, academia, partners, civil society, government and the private sector.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex economic information to diverse audiences.