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University of Bergen

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.

There are seven departments and three centres at Faculty of Social Sciences. Read more about the faculty and departments.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow position

There is a vacancy for a postdoctoral position at the Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, linked to research focusing on bureaucracies, executive policymaking, regulatory politics, stakeholder participation in public policymaking, systems of governance.

This is position is for a period of 4 years, with a tentative start date in October 2019.

About the project/work tasks

The successful applicant will conduct independent and collaborative research as part of the ERC project led by Dr. Adriana Bunea and entitled ‘CONSULTATION EFFECTS: Effects of stakeholder consultations on the policy inputs, processes and outcomes of executive policymaking.’ The project aims to investigate stakeholder consultations as institutions of political participation and representation, and to systematically study their effects on policy inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes of executive policymaking in 29 political systems: all 28 EU Member States and the EU polity. Conceptually, the project aims to build a unified conceptual framework allowing the study of stakeholder consultations in a comparative, cross-national research design. Theoretically, the project will elaborate a theory explaining consultation effects on policymaking that accounts for the intrinsic challenges of democratising twenty-first century bureaucracies, and the inherent trade-offs of democratic and technocratic policymaking. Empirically, the project will engage in an ambitious data collection strategy aimed to generate an original, cross-national, comparative dataset on stakeholder consultation designs and characteristics of inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes across policy initiatives, policy domains and political systems.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who can contribute to these research objectives while also conducting independent research related to the project theme. Further details about the project, research team and research duties associated with the position can be obtained by contacting the Principal Investigator, Associate Professor Adriana Bunea at adriana.bunea@uib.no.

Over 5 years, the research team will consist of three Postdoctoral Research Fellows and several research assistants led by the Principal Investigator.

Qualifications and personal qualities

The successful candidate will be expected to relocate to the University of Bergen, participate in the scholarly activities of the Department, and conform to the regulations that apply to the position.

The applicant must

• Hold a PhD in political science, public administration or public policy (or, if relevant, a closely related discipline). It is a condition of employment that the PhD has been awarded.
• Have research experience within one or more areas such as bureaucracies, executive politics and policymaking, regulatory politics, regulatory governance, interest groups.
• Have advanced quantitative methods skills and extended experience with data collection, management and analysis.
• Have a strong background and interest in research methods and research designs.
• Have a strong interest in public administration, public policy, interest groups or governance research and their comparative, quantitative study.
• Have the ability to work independently and in a structured manner and the desire to cooperate with others and work as part of a team.
• Be proficient in both written and spoken English. The proficient display of a Scandinavian, Germanic or Slavic language is desirable although not a key prerequisite for the position.

Potential candidates will be invited for an interview medio June. Candidates will be asked to deliver a presentation during which they present their research plans and their potential contribution to the research project (see below). Applicants are advised to familiarize themselves with the teaching and research profile of the Department. The teaching language is Norwegian, one of the Scandinavian languages and English.

About the position of postdoctoral research fellow

The position of postdoctoral research fellow is a fixed-term appointment with the primary objective of qualifying the appointee for work in top academic positions. The fixed-term period for this position is 4 years, 25% of which is related to teaching, supervision and administrative tasks at the Department. Individuals may not be hired for more than one fixed-term period as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution.

About the application

The application must include a research outline of 2 pages in which the candidate describes the individual and collaborative research agenda he/she would like to develop during the three-year position as part of the project. The outline should clearly specify the research themes/questions the applicant would like to investigate, the research design employed, the research outputs envisaged and their planned publication strategy.

It is a requirement that the post doc project is completed in the course of the period of employment.

We can offer

• A great and professionally challenging working environment.
• Excellent opportunities for research and professional development.
• Salary at pay grade 59 – 62 (code 1352) on the government salary scale upon appointment (equivalent to NOK 490.900 to 517.700 pr. year). Further promotions are made according to length of service in the position.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• Good welfare benefits.
• The city of Bergen - a unique mix of vibrant cultural life and extraordinary nature

Your application must include

• A cover letter outlining a brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
• CV
• The research proposal (maximum 2 pages).
• The full text of a maximum of five publications to be considered in the assessment (co-authored publications must be accompanied by declarations of co-authorship).
• A reference list including all works of a scientific nature.
• The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of these must be the main supervisor of the PhD thesis.
• Transcripts and diplomas
• Relevant certificates/letters of recommendation.

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at www.jobbnorge.no. the application has to be marked with: 19/843. Applications sent by e-mail will not be evaluated.

The closing date is May 1, 2019

General information

Detailed information about the position can be obtained by contacting:

• Associate Professor Adriana Bunea, Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen: adriana.bunea@uib.no

Practical questions about the application process should be directed to Adviser - HR, Even Michal Endresen, e-mail: even.endresen@uib.no

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

Further information about our employment process can be found here.

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