Predoctoral Researcher on Financial Inclusion

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IQS Barcelona invites applications for a Predoctoral Researcher Funding Contract to work on the project "Financial inclusion tools to address the challenges related to accessing financial services". The position offers a three-year scholarship and full-time employment starting in March ****, covering doctoral tuition and providing a full employment contract within the Business and Territorial Competitiveness, Innovation and Sustainability (CETIS) program at the IQS School of Management, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain.

Overview

Financial Inclusion (FI) is recognized as a crucial instrument for economic advancement. This project explores barriers to FI and tools to improve access to financial services, addressing high service costs, limited branch access, misaligned risk assessments, poor financial education, and weak regulations. The research aims to examine innovative solutions such as microfinance, blockchain, and the formal use of remittances, focusing on both supply and demand challenges. Eight Financial Inclusion Tools (FITs) are investigated: mobile money, non-bank financial distribution, behavioural credit risk, workers' remittances, adapted financial regulation, financial education, microfinance business models, and blockchain technology.

Core Objectives

1.

2. Construct and analyze novel indicators of financial inclusion across regions.

3. Assess the effectiveness of the FITs.

4. Generate and propose new FITs to address access challenges.

This highly data-driven,



interdisciplinary effort combines finance and economic sciences, employing advanced econometric techniques, experimental research, and a novel panel dataset.

Key Responsibilities

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- Conduct core research activities leading to the PhD thesis within the project.

- Perform advanced data processing and analysis, indicator development, and contribute to experimental research components.

- Actively participate in training activities, research seminars, and collaborative initiatives led by the Sustainability, Economics and Ethics Research Group (SEE).

- Light teaching assistance may also be assigned.

Desired Candidate Profile

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- Strong academic background with proven interest in financial inclusion, payments, development economics, financial access data analysis, or related fields.

- Master's degree (MSc) in finance, economics, data science, engineering, or other relevant disciplines in social or applied sciences.

- Strong data processing skills, including experience in database management and applied statistics.

- Solid methodological background in quantitative analysis for empirical research (e.g., econometrics, panel data, statistical computing).

- Experience in statistical programming and data processing using tools such as Excel, Stata,



MATLAB, Python, or similar.

- Interest in applied research or experimental design (valued but not mandatory).

Application Requirements

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- Project Proposal and Work Plan

- Title.

- Project summary (maximum 100 words).

- Detailed description of the proposed work plan (maximum 2,000 words).

- Proposal for publishing and disseminating results.

- Academic transcripts for all university degrees and courses (scanned copies accepted).

- Letter of motivation.

- Two letters of recommendation (at least one from an academic referee).

- Proof of English proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent).

Employment Contract

The employment contract will comply with Spanish labor regulations, providing full access to the Spanish Social Security system, including coverage for healthcare, parental leave, and work-related protections.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer. We promote equality and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law. We strongly welcome applications from female candidates as they are currently under‑represented at this level in this field of knowledge in our School. xqbhyrx

Contact Information

For any questions about this position, please contact Dr. Francesc Prior (******) or Dr. Octasiano Valerio (******).

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📌 Predoctoral Researcher On Financial Inclusion (Barcelona)
🏢 EMBA La Salle
📍 Barcelona