PhD Position at UCLouvain

The Institute of Political Science Louvain-Europe (ISPOLE) of UCLouvain is hiring a doctoral researcher for a research project on policy feedbacks and citizens’ preferences for regionalization.

The position is fixed-term (1 year + 2 years). The doctoral researcher will work under the supervision of Claire Dupuy, Professor of comparative politics (UCLouvain) and Soetkin Verhaegen, Assistant Professor in European politics (Maastricht University), and will be part of the ESPO doctoral programme. The deadline for application is May 26 2022 at 13:00. The scholarship will start on October 1st 2022 (or later depending on the applicant’s availability).

Profile

• Hold a Master’s degree in Political Science or a related discipline. Master students in their final year are encouraged to apply, on the condition that they obtain their MA-
• degree before the start of the scholarship. 
• Research interest in at least one of the following issues: regional policymaking, political socialisation, policy feedbacks, territorial identities, political generations.
• Have good knowledge of the scholarship on territorial politics and political sociology.
• A strong command of English, both in writing and speaking, and either of French, German, Spanish or Dutch.
• Experience with performing academic research (e.g. Master thesis, research assistance, academic article...). Experience with qualitative research design is appreciated.
• Readiness to conduct fieldwork and research stays abroad.
• Self-motivated, pro-active, critical thinking and willingness to participate to ISPOLE research activities on a regular basis.

Research project

Since the late 1970s, most European countries have experienced regionalization or (quasi-) federalization processes. In this multilevel context, the search for legitimation has been a primary concern for regional governments and a driver of regional policy-making. A core question is whether, when and how regional policy-making feeds back into citizens’ preference for the regional level over time.

The starting point of this research project is to consider political socialization by institutions alongside identity- and utilitarian-based explanations. The doctoral researcher will conduct a comparative study of different generations socialized in different regions of different countries. The regional and country case selection will provide a variation on each of the three independent variables: strength of historical regional identity, relative strength of the regional economy and scope of regionalization. The case selection will also depend on the researcher’s language skills.

Applications should include (to be sent in one PdF file):

1. A cover letter (max. 2 pages) explaining how your profile fits within the research project
2. A proposal of a research project (2 pages)
3. A full CV (including degrees obtained for each study year, the title of your MA-thesis, and, when applicable, a list of publications, relevant courses taken, and conference presentations)
4. Contacts and details of two academic referees
5. An academic writing sample (e.g. MA thesis or a chapter- completed or in progress - or any other relevant research output)

Additional information

Women, disabled people and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.The monthly salary is 2056€ after-tax, including social benefits.

Applications should be sent to catherine.goossens@uclouvain.be, and claire.dupuy@uclouvain.be. Short-listed candidates will be contacted on June 1st at the latest.

Short-listed candidates will be interviewed on campus in Louvain-la-Neuve or on Teams between 7 June and 9 June. The selected applicant will start their PhD on October 1st. The selected applicant will have to apply for a 4-year FNRS doctoral scholarship during the first year.

Candidates who want more information about the research project or the recruitment process can contact Prof. Claire Dupuy before 24 May. For other inquiries, please contact Ms Catherine
Goossens.

More information about the PhD training at ESPO can be found HERE.