Behavioural Responses to Inequality as a Social Ranking
ANR-25-CE41-1847
We investigate how inequality, as a social ranking of individuals, organises social behaviours. We focus on how inequality shapes the transmission of behaviours from the top to the bottom of the social ladder, with particular attention to ethically problematic behaviours and their distributional implications. We emphasise the monetary dimension of inequality, excluding correlates like prestige, power, skill that relate to the sources of – and equally importantly, to beliefs about – inequality.
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with the following profile:
Behavioral Economics / Cognitive Neuroscience
Requirements
Candidates must have earned a PhD degree in Economics or related fields by the time of appointment, and no later than September 1st, 2026.
Candidates must demonstrate research excellence of the highest international caliber in one of the listed fields. Evidence may include an innovative job market paper, high-quality working papers, publications in top or field-leading journals, strong referee letters, a compelling research statement, major conference presentations, and notable awards.
Research and teaching interests should be in line with our laboratory strengths. Candidates should motivate their application considering the laboratory’s overall research profile and location.
Position details:
· Starting date September 1st, 2026.
· Duration: 2+1
· Salary: around 2500€ / month net.
· French language is not required.
About the projects
The postdoctoral position is financed by prof. Andrea FM Martinangeli within the project “BREAKING – Behavioural Responses to Inequality as a Social Ranking” (funded by the ANR - National Research Agency).
The successful candidate will work with the project team (in close collaboration with AFM Martinangeli and/or Jean-Claude Dreher, or other team members) to develop behavioral studies allowing for cognitive analyses and which, in a second phase, can be extended to model-based fMRI investigations. The candidates’ research interests should align with the scope of the project.
Articles produced as part of the project are expected to be published in both economics and neurocognitive science top outlets.
Candidates should explicitly articulate how they can contribute to and strengthen the project.
How to apply
The deadline for applications is February 28th 2026. Applications must be submitted online at https://econjobmarket.org/.
A complete application must include a cover letter; a current curriculum vitae; a research statement outlining current and future research interests and how the candidate’s research profile matches the fields listed in the posting; a job market paper; and three recent letters of reference (on letterhead, dated, and signed) uploaded directly by referees. Other working papers or publications are optional.
Interviews will be conducted online, in March. We will invite a limited number of candidates for virtual job talks in early April.
About the Lemma Laboratory
The Laboratory of Mathematical Economics and Applied Microeconomics (LEMMA) was founded in 2003 by economists, mathematicians and computer scientists within the University Paris-Panthéon-Assas. LEMMA hosts about thirty permanent members (including numerous international researchers) and fifteen PhD students. Its work is organized around two research areas: Games and Decision and Applied Microeconomics. The Games and Decision area covers decision and social choice (preferences, aggregation, voting), games, learning and investment (strategic behavior under uncertainty), interdisciplinary approaches to game theory (mathematics, biology, philosophy). Applied Microeconomics focuses on monetary and banking economics (emerging payment systems, search models), evaluation of public policies and corporate practices (health, motivation, inequality), political economy and development (combining economic and political science).
For questions about these positions, please email project leader Andrea Martinangeli (andrea.martinangeli@assas-universite.fr).
Location of job: 6, rue Desgoffe, 75006, Paris, France
Degree required: Doctorate
Job start date: 2026-09-01
Job duration: 2+1 years (subject to performance evaluation)
Salary: Around 2500€ / month net (remuneration differs slightly for the two positions).
Letters of reference required: 3
Interviews: Interviews will be conducted remotely by video starting March, 2026.
Application deadline: 28 Feb 2026.