Postdoctoral Associate ? ISPS Government Performance Fellowship

The Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS)?s Democratic Innovations Program invites applications for its Government Performance Postdoctoral Fellowship for the 2027-2028 academic year. Participants in the Fellowship will join a community of scholars engaged in theoretically and empirically important research on the politics of institutional performance in the United States and other nations facing similar economic and political challenges. A key priority for the program is the study of the linkages between political behavior and/ or political institutions and policy outputs affecting both overall societal performance and the lives of everyday citizens. We are interested in scholars whose research illuminates both strong and poor government performance, including problems in government that go unaddressed due to government failure, a lack of political competition, bureaucratic pathologies, or other reasons. In sum, we are interested in research on how politics affects government performance and seek applications from scholars whose research (whether theoretical or empirical) seriously engages this linkage. Following are examples of some research questions to illustrate the priorities for this fellowship: Why does it cost more to build transportation infrastructure in some places than others with similar geographic and economic conditions? What are the policy consequences of having elected versus appointed officials in different policy sectors? How do budget institutions, electoral rules, and voter behavior shape the management of public debt and pensions? How does the design of research-funding agencies, peer review, and the politics of science budgets shape scientific and medical progress, innovation, and long-run technological capacity? How do electoral rules affect the quality of government officials, corruption levels, and the quality of services?  How does the media environment affect government performance? How does local control, funding rules, and organized interests shape educational outputs? How does local government structure, land-use authority, and the political economy of incumbent homeowners shape the affordability of housing markets? How do government hiring rules, procurement rules and project-delivery institutions affect the cost and efficiency of government contracts? This is a residential fellowship program in New Haven. Fellows are expected to be actively engaged in the activities of the Democratic Innovations Program and present their research at least once per semester. Please submit cover letter, research statement, C.V., one writing sample, graduate transcript (for applicants not currently holding a faculty position), and two confidential letters of recommendation.  The review process will begin on January 15, 2027; to receive full consideration applications should be received by that date.