Job description

The appointment is for three years with no teaching obligations, with a starting date between 1 January 2022 and 15 July 2022. The fellowship is part of the project “The Politics of European and American Single-Market Governance” (SINGLEMARKETS), which is funded by the Research Council of Norway (2021-2025). SINGLEMARKETS is an international research project with partner institutions and participating researchers in Norway, France, Poland, and the United States, led by Craig Parsons, Senior Researcher at ARENA and Professor of Political Science at the University of Oregon, USA.

SINGLEMARKETS’ point of departure is a revision of the common wisdom about the world’s two largest single markets. Europe’s “single market project” (SMP) is widely perceived as an incomplete effort to imitate America’s vast barrier-free economy. This description is wrong on both sides. The EU has removed many barriers to cross-border exchange and mobility that persist between American states. Examples include varying standards for goods, duplicative licensing requirements, and discriminatory public contracts and subsidies. Americans still trade and move more across state borders than do Europeans, but they do so despite many regulatory impediments—not because the US ever “completed” a barrier-removing project like the SMP. Rather than two points along the same road to market openness, the EU and the US display different choices about the political trade-offs involved in single-market governance.

This project proposes first-of-its-kind comparative research on the politics of single markets in these two polities. We will generate the first comparable data about attitudes of citizens, business, and officials regarding single-market governance; test a wide range of competing theories to explain responses; and engage observed attitudes with normative debates about political economy, democracy, and federalism.

Focusing on four states/countries in each arena (Germany, France, Poland, Norway in Europe; Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Oregon in the US), we will field two surveys and undertake a large wave of interviews in three sectoral case studies. Surveys will respectively target a general-population sample and a sample of business professionals. Interviews will target businesspeople and policy-makers in the sectors of alcoholic beverages (for goods), construction (services and labor), and retail banking (capital).

More about the position

The postdoctoral fellow will participate in survey design and interview research, including roughly 100 interviews in both Europe and the United States. Most interviews in the US and many in Europe will be conducted on Zoom. Precise interview assignments will be worked out with the team, partly as a function of language skills. The fellow will also participate in explanatory analysis, and may participate in normative theoretical analysis as a function of their training and interests.

The fellow will take the lead on at least two academic papers for peer-reviewed journals, and will contribute to the team with project-related tasks, including participation in project workshops and in meetings with the project's advisory board; co-organization of academic, policy and public events; and dissemination of research results to decision-makers, practitioners and the wider public.

In addition to a central role for the SINGLEMARKETS project, this position is intended to prepare the fellow to qualify for senior academic posts. Alongside working on team-defined research tasks, the fellow is encouraged to pursue their own focused research interests within the frame of the project.

Qualification requirements

• Candidates must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian PhD degree in political science, sociology, or another relevant discipline within the social sciences. Appointment as Postdoctoral Fellow is dependent on successful completion of the candidate’s PhD degree by the time of appointment.
• Documented expertise in political economy and/or comparative law is desirable, at least in either the American or European contexts and ideally with some knowledge of both. Experience with at least one of the empirical research methods relevant for this project is required (interviewing, surveys, content analysis).
• Considerable weight will be accorded to the ability to conduct independent research, scientific excellence, critical and creative thinking as well as the ability to be a genuine team player.
• Experience of active participation in the international research community, such as workshops, seminars and academic conferences is seen as a merit. Experience or interest in disseminating research and results across multiple platforms is also seen as a merit.
• Applicants must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English. A good command of either German or Norwegian would be an advantage. Residence in Oslo is expected.

Personal skills

• Strong communications skills
• Able to work both in a team and independently, using own initiative
• Efficient, capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously
• Good time management.

We offer

• A gross salary of NOK 534 400 - 615 800 per annum depending on level of competence and/or length of service (position code SKO 1352)
• A stimulating professional work environment
• Good pension benefits under the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund scheme
• Attractive welfare benefits
• Relocation support from the international staff mobility office (ISMO)
• Opportunity to attend Norwegian language classes
• Oslo offers a family-friendly environment with rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
• Norwegian work life is known for gender equality and work life balance
• Access to professional networks and office space at ARENA.

How to apply

The electronic application should include:

• Application letter with a brief statement of interest.
• A research agenda statement (maximum 1500 words not including references). This document should succinctly summarize the candidate’s main research experience and interests, how the applicant will contribute to the project and the centre, and related research goals the candidate would like to pursue during the fellowship.
• A CV including education, positions, research experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity
• Academic transcripts (university degrees only)
• Copy of PhD diploma or documentation of thesis submission. Applicants who have not yet defended their PhD dissertation need to include an advisor’s letter confirming specific expectations about when the degree will be received
• Copy of what you consider to be your best publication to date. This must be one publication only, and preferably a single-authored article relevant to the applicant’s main research interests. If a co-authored publication is uploaded, the applicant’s individual contribution must be clarified and confirmed by co-authors
• A complete list of publications, clearly distinguishing between academic and non-academic publications
• Names and contact details of two references (name, relation to candidate, email and telephone number).

Please note that there is no separate prompt for uploading such documents in the application portal. The requested documents must therefore be uploaded as separate “Attachments”.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Please note that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University’s grading system.

The application deadline is 16 November 2021. The screening and evaluation of the candidates will begin immediately. We expect the evaluation process from the application deadline to an offer is made to take 12-16 weeks, depending on the number of applications. The position may begin from 1 January 2022 or a mutually agreed upon date prior to 15 July 2022.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. We also want to have employees with diverse expertise, combinations of subjects, life experience and perspectives. We will make adjustments for employees who require this.

Contact information

• Project leader Craig Parsons
• Administrative Director Ida Hjelmesæth

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