Postdoctoral Research Position in Comparative Social Policy

Job description and tasks 

The postdoctoral researcher will work on the project PERGAP “The (Mis)Perception of Economic Inequality: The Impact of Welfare State Institutions on Social Perception and Preference Formation” headed by Simone Schneider (PI) and funded by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 2021). The position will be based in the Political and Social Sciences Department at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona) starting as soon as possible and no later than October 2023. 

The postdoctoral researcher will work cooperatively and in close collaboration with the PI on the empirical assessment of institutional differences related to the fields of healthcare, old age security, unemployment, and minimum protection in Europe and abroad. 

Specific Tasks:

• Contribute to the development of new analytical tools for the empirical assessment and comparison of welfare state institutions
• Support the collection of legal information from policy experts and other legal data sources
• Assist in the creation of a cross-country comparative quantitative dataset containing new metrics on the institutional imprints of social inequalities within and across welfare states in Europe and abroad
• Work independently on the generation of publications and reports
• Engage in all of the project´s scientific and public activities 

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 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). 

Official number reference 

Call: HEu-ERC-2021-STG

ERC Grant number: 101042125 

Required qualifications for candidate 

• PhD degree in Political Science, Sociology or a related discipline within the Social Sciences
• Demonstrated experience in comparative social policy analysis, preferably with specialization in one or more of the following subfields: health care, old age security, unemployment and/or minimum protection
• Knowledge of quantitative research methods and, if possible, experience in data collection activities
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent academic research by means of first authored published work in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Excellent command of academic English and, if possible, of further languages
• Ability to manage multiple activities simultaneously, efficiently and on-time, and be able to meet deadlines 

Selection criteria: (only applications from candidates who fulfill 5 of the requirements mentioned above will be evaluated)

• Disciplinary fit with project: 1-5 points
• Relevant academic experience: 1-5 points
• Relevant methodological skills: 1-5 points 

Candidates must pass a minimum of 4.0 points for each of the selection criteria. 

The selection committee will consider the possibility of interviewing candidates who pass the minimum score. 

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 2 years and starting as soon as possible and no later than October 2023, with a gross salary of at least 34.558,57 € per year depending on qualifications and experience. The position is initially for 2 years but may be extended for longer depending on project needs. 

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 clicking the 'Apply' button.

1. A letter of motivation (max 2 pages) explaining how the candidate fulfills the qualifications mentioned in the job description.
2. A copy of a detailed CV, including names and contact details of two academic referees
3. Copies of relevant certificates/transcripts
4. A publication (preferably sole or first author)
5. A copy of ID card or passport 

Contact: simonemaria.schneider@upf.edu