Location: Milton Keynes
3 Year Studentship
Closing Date: 31st March 2023 - 17:00
We are delighted to invite applications for a PhD Studentship funded by the FASS department (European Research Council & Horizon 2020). This research project, based in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, seeks to examine the impacts of China’s growing role in European infrastructure investment and what this means for both Europe’s place in the world and understandings of global development.
Project scope (Summary, see Further details)
The 2013-16 period saw China investing heavily across Europe and it is likely to remain an important source of finance even though the pandemic and changing attitudes towards China have altered the political landscape. While China views Europe as fertile ground for infrastructure investment, many European and Chinese firms and governments are ill-equipped to deal with these political and economic changes. The REDEFINE project seeks to understand what is driving these investment projects, how these projects are put together, and what impacts they are having at a range of scales. REDEFINE examines the role that China is now playing in Europe, by looking at Chinese investments in critical infrastructure in four countries – UK, Germany, Hungary and Greece. It is an innovative inter-disciplinary project which cuts across geography, politics, planning, urban studies, economics, sociology, anthropology, and development studies.
REDEFINE is structured around 3 broad themes and we welcome PhD projects that address one or more of these themes in innovative and original ways. The themes are:
Theme 1: Driving - Understanding the motives for China’s move westwards & Europe’s infrastructure needs China has increased investment and trade with resource-producing countries, but Chinese firms are also seeking technology, know-how and experience of international business. REDEFINE aims to better understand the range of Chinese firms operating in Europe, assess their business models, and track Europe’s and China’s changing policy environment that shapes the internationalisation.
Theme 2: Gathering - Understanding the multi-scaled modalities of infrastructure projects China’s involvement in Europe includes both state-sponsored investment vehicles and corporations and private sources of investment that tend to be less regulated. REDEFINE focuses on the nature and experience of the emergent partnerships between Chinese and European firms, as well as the engagement of Chinese investors with national state agencies at local, regional and national levels.
Theme 3 - Understanding the outcomes of & reactions to Chinese investment As recent EU policy has acknowledged, regulation of Chinese investments is critical given a range of concerns around financial probity, security, intellectual property and standards. Linked to analyzing regulation are other outcomes so REDEFINE aims to assess a range of issues including economic localisation, regulation, political resistance, and broader changes in identity.
REDEFINE takes a disaggregated approach to unpack project-by-project effects. Through comparative case studies in the UK, Germany, Greece and Hungary (see further details) REDEFINE will produce fine-grained analysis to address these 3 themes By better understanding how investment deals operate, REDEFINE will connect Chinese and European government and corporate actors in order to influence their strategies and practices.
How to apply
Students are encouraged to identify a focused project that is achievable and advances current work. Helpful guidance on writing a research proposal is available here: https://genderate.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/proposal/
If your application is viewed positively by the REDEFINE team you will be invited for an interview.
Closing date: noon 31 March 2023 - 17:00 GMT
Equal opportunity is University Policy.
Qualification Type: | PhD |
---|---|
Location: | Milton Keynes |
Funding for: | UK Students, EU Students, International Students |
Funding amount: | £15,285 maintenance grant per year |
Hours: | Full Time |
Placed On: | 7th February 2023 |
Closes: | 31st March 2023 |
Reference: | FASS_REDEFINE_PhD |
Type / Role:
Subject Area(s):
Location(s):
Your PhD alert has been successfully created for this search.
Your job alert has been successfully created for this search.
Ok OkYour PhD alert has been successfully created for this search.
Your job alert has been successfully created for this search.
Manage your job alerts Manage your job alertsIn order to create multiple job alerts, you must first verify your email address to complete your account creation
Request verification email Request verification emailIn order to create multiple alerts, you must create a jobs.ac.uk jobseeker account
Create Account Create AccountUnfortunately, your account is currently blocked. Please login to unblock your account.
We received a delivery failure message when attempting to send you an email and therefore your email address has been blocked. You will not receive job alerts until your email address is unblocked. To do so, please choose from one of the two options below.
A maximum of 5 Job Alerts can be created against your account. Please remove an existing alert in order to create this new Job Alert
Manage your job alerts Manage your job alertsWhen you create this PhD alert we will email you a selection of PhDs matching your criteria.When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply to this service. Any personal data you provide in setting up this alert is processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice
When you create this PhD alert we will email you a selection of PhDs matching your criteria.When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply to this service. Any personal data you provide in setting up this alert is processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice
A maximum of 500 Saved Jobs can be created against your account. Please remove an existing Saved Job in order to add a new Saved Job.
Manage Saved Jobs