Dear all, The Department of Political and Social Sciences at Universitat Pompeu Fabra is seeking applications for 3 PhD Research Positions in Comparative Social Policy/Sociology/Political Psychology as part of the ERC-funded research project PERGAP: “The (Mis)Perception of Economic Inequality: The Impact of Welfare State Institutions on Social Perception and Preference Formation”. I will highly appreciate if you circulate the call for applications widely within your network. Position Rank: 3 PhD Research Positions Discipline/Field: Comparative Social Policy/Sociology/Political Psychology Home Faculty: Department of Political and Social Sciences at Universitat Pompeu Fabra Position Start Date: September 2023 (although certain flexibility is possible) Deadline for Applications: 21 May 2023 https://www.upf.edu/en/web/politiques/home/-/asset_publisher/fZjeFt1Yyu1I/content/3phd-research-positions-in-comparative-social-polocy-sociology-political-psychology/maximized Thank you for your support. Kind regards, Dr. Simone Schneider Professor Tenure Track Department of Political and Social Sciences Universitat Pompeu Fabra www.simonemschneider.com <http://www.simonemschneider.com/> POSITION DESCRIPTION & REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS The 3 PhD candidates will be part of the research project PERGAP “The (Mis)Perception of Economic Inequality: The Impact of Welfare State Institutions on Social Perception and Preference Formation” headed by Dr Simone Schneider and funded by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 2021). The PhD project should focus on the investigation of either (a) perceptions and justifications of economic inequalities across societies and their relatedness to social policies and welfare state institutions or (b) on the manifestation of social inequalities within welfare state institutions. The positions will be based in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona) and will ideally start September 2023. Tasks: ● Work on their PhD project within the framework of PERGAP. ● Support data collection process of legal information on institutional characteristics. ● Work cooperatively with the PI and any other research team members. ● Engage in the project´s research activities. The successful applicants will join the PhD Programme in Political and Social Sciences of the Department of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. The PhD candidates will get the opportunity to participate in the Department’s training program for PhD students and will draw up a personal training and supervision plan. They will be supervised by Dr Simone Schneider. The PhD candidates will write their dissertations based on a set of research articles related to the project´s objectives and publishable in international refereed journals. Project and institution that finance the contract: The PERGAP project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union´s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, aims to advance knowledge on the societal causes leading to the (mis)perception of economic inequality by developing new instruments for the assessment and comparison of the institutional structure of welfare states and investigating their impact on perception and justification processes – before, during, and potentially after the pandemic crisis and across different structural and cultural settings. Moving beyond classical distinctions of welfare regime typologies and uniting approaches from neo-institutionalist theory and empirical social justice research, PERGAP proposes that social security systems provide distinct answers to the questions of ‘who gets what and why?’ and ‘who should get what and why?’ This ultimately shapes how citizens view and justify inequalities. First, PERGAP will collect legal information on the ‘institutional imprints of social disparities’ in social security systems (i.e. healthcare, old age security, unemployment, minimum protection) across 50 European and non-European countries for three time points. Secondly, it will combine this information with existing country- comparative survey data to explore how institutional structures affect perceptions and justifications. Ultimately, PERGAP will create a unique country-comparative dataset on institutional disparities and expand knowledge of the (self-)legitimizing mechanisms of public institutions. This will lead to a comprehensive theoretical and empirical understanding of the impact of public institutions on social perceptions and preference formations, with implications for scientists and non-scientists alike. The project will be carried out at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona) in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy (Munich). Requirements This call is subject to the official admission requirements in the doctoral programs according to RD 99/2011, and all the submission requirements of the PhD Programme in Political and Social Sciences at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. An ideal candidate should have: Master’s degree in sociology, psychology, political science or another relevant social science, to be completed before autumn 2023; excellent study results and CV; excellent quantitative research skills and proven experience in multivariate statistical analyses of large survey data sets; good writing skills and fluency in written and spoken English, and in particular, experience in academic writing; keen interest in undertaking research on the institutional determinants of perceptions and justifications of economic inequality using country comparative survey data as well as social policy and welfare state institutions; a great curiosity and enthusiasm for scientific research. Selection criteria: (only applications from candidates who fulfil the 5 of the requirements mentioned above will be evaluated) ● Disciplinary fit with the project: 1-5 points ● Fit of the PhD project’s topic: 1-5 points ● Relevant additional skills: 1-5 points Candidates must pass a minimum of 3.5 points for each of the selection criteria. The selection committee will decide on the need of an interview with the shortlisted candidates. Selection committee: President: Simone Schneider Secretary: John Palmer Member: Gøsta Esping-Andersen Salary/duration/benefits/facilities The candidate will work full-time for a duration of 4 years and starting ideally September 2023, with a gross salary of approximately: 1st and 2nd year: 17.651,76 € 3rd year: 18.912,60 € 4th year: 23.640,72 € The contract includes all the benefits of the Spanish public health and social security system, as well as additional financial support for the participation in project-relevant conferences and scientific meetings. Information on the application process To apply for this position, candidates send the documentation by Interfolio through the following link: http://apply.interfolio.com/124225 1. A letter of motivation (max 3 pages), explaining how the candidate fulfils the qualifications mentioned in the job description including preliminary ideas about a potential research topic linked with the PERGAP project. 2. A copy of a detailed CV, including names and contact details of two academic referees 3. Copies of relevant certificates/transcripts 4. A written sample of your work, such as a final-year thesis or research paper 5. A copy of ID or Passport Deadline to submit application: May 21, 2023 Contact: (contact email): simonemaria.schneider@upf.edu <mailto:simonemaria.schneider@upf.edu> Apply through Interfolio: http://apply.interfolio.com/124225