The University of Gothenburg seeks to establish a new research group in practical philosophy dedicated to financial ethics, i.e. ethical and political issues raised by the financial system.

Desert theorists hold that pay should be based on the employee's economic deservingness which usually is cashed out as his or her past sacrifice, effort or performance for the firm. However this notion of economic deservingness is far from well understood in the current literature. How does it relate to other forms of (moral) desert? How does it square with elements of chance and luck? And how does it play out in practice in an industry based on large profits but also great social risks?

In contrast, consequentialists hold that pay schemes should be viewed as incentives for future effort or performance: the best scheme is the one that attracts the best talent at the lowest cost. Does this notion lead to serious inequalities in pay between directors and blue-collar workers? How does it square with common intuitions about economic desert and justice? Finally, can current incentives be redesigned to increase the social responsibility of the financial industry?

Applicants must have the equivalent of an M.A. in practical philosophy. At least some familiarity with financial theory or practice is also appreciated. The application should include a project plan (max 2500 words) where you outline the chosen subtopic, its relevance and the theories, methods and literatures that you plan to use.

New deadline for applications is October 31, 2016.

The practical philosophy unit at the University of Gothenburg has a long tradition of doing applied ethics in close contact with the basic theoretical development of moral philosophy, as well as close interdisciplinary collaborations with relevant specialists, practitioners and policy makers. It has recently grown considerably from the establishment of the Gothenburg Responsibility Project<http://gothenburg-responsibility-project.gu.se/> that brings together philosophers working on normative ethics, metaethics, the philosophy of agency, and applied ethics around issues of moral responsibility.