9 Postdoctoral Positions, aculty of Law, Economics & Governance, Utrecht University, Netherlands (2016-2017)

The 9 post-docs will conduct research within one of the three programs. In particular, candidates are required to apply to one of the following 9 vacancies:

Resilient rule of Law: Society is faced with major challenges, as rapid technological change, mass migration, radicalism and terrorism put pressure on the rule of law in democratic countries. The program ‘Resilient Rule of Law’ studies the effects of these challenges on the acceptance and functioning of the rule of law and the possible reactions to these challenges in order to make the rule of law more resilient. One post-doc will be appointed for each of the following three projects:

Responsive governance and forms of government focuses on the organizational preconditions for a more responsive interaction between government and citizens. Candidates who wish to apply for this project, please indicate vacancy number RRL01 in your application. Preference is given to candidates with a background in constitutional law and governance and a strong interest in the economics of the public sector .

Responsive governance and procedural justice focuses on the processes and skills needed to improve the relationship between government and citizens through a procedural justice approach. Candidates who wish to apply for this project, please indicate vacancy number RRL02 in your application. Preference is given to candidates with a background in law and psychology (or associated fields) and experience with experimental research methods.

Corporate rule of law responsibility focuses on the instruments that will contribute to the respect for fundamental rights and the compliance with rule of law principles by large international operating companies, that increasingly control services that are vital to society. Candidates who wish to apply for this project, please indicate vacancy number RRL03 in your application. Preference is given to candidates with experience in qualitative empirical legal research on the regulatory governance of corporate behavior.

Future of Work: The Future of Work program is a multidisciplinary initiative that supports research activities and helps build a knowledge platform of scientists, policy makers, public and private organizations and the public at large to analyze these societal challenges. One post-doc will be appointed for each of the following three focus areas:

Innovation and globalization; (in-work) poverty and inequality; macro-economic instability including housing bubbles, financial crises or secular stagnation are today’s macroeconomic challenges that, as of yet, have largely unknown consequences for labor markets. Candidates who wish to apply for this focus area, please indicate vacancy number FW01 in your application. Preference is given to candidates with a strong background in economics.

The macroeconomic challenges mentioned above are also important in the context of the sustainability of individual workers in terms of worker skills (e.g. the rising importance of social skills in the labor market), worker flexibility (e.g. transition between education, work and care), elderly workers (e.g. health and retirement), and discrimination by and against workers (e.g. and the possible need for affirmative action). Candidates who wish to apply for this focus area, please indicate vacancy number FW02 in your application. Preference is given to candidates with a strong background in Human Resource Management (HRM) or in legal aspects of equality and diversity.

The macroeconomic challenges mentioned above are also important in the context of organizations and labor market regulation. More specifically, this focus area addresses questions such as: Which institutions and legal obligations exist to keep vulnerable persons involved (e.g. long-term unemployed, disabled, migrant workers, low skilled persons, older persons)? Are there tensions with international and European standards and policy objectives? What HRM practices exist within organizations that contribute more to these objectives than legally required? Do technological and other labor-market and societal developments require new institutions or new forms of cooperation and distribution of responsibilities? Candidates who wish to apply for this focus area, please indicate vacancy number FW03 in your application. Preference is given to candidates with a strong background in Human Resource Management (HRM) or in legal aspects of labor market regulation.

Regulation of innovation: Technological and societal innovations can contribute to the solution of grand societal challenges, but innovation can also disrupt society and generate conflict. Innovation should therefore be stimulated, while at the same time safeguarding that risks and damage are acknowledged in time and limited as much as possible. This program asks how innovation can be regulated, without diminishing the incentive to innovate. It combines legal, economic and governance perspectives to study through what incentives innovations can be stimulated; what forms of governance stimulate innovations that contribute to societal resilience; and which design principles we can derive from this. These questions are answered through the following three multidisciplinary case studies of innovation processes:

Sustainable energy: this case study will address the effectiveness of the legal, policy and governance arrangements and their interplay in stimulating innovation of energy production. Candidates who wish to apply for this project, please indicate vacancy number RI01 in your application. Preference is given to candidates with a strong background in regulation and/or governance of sustainable energy.

Fintech: This case study aims to generate insight in adequate forms of risk regulation that will not kill the potential of fintech as a potential game-changer in the financial sector, and thus contributes to design principles for risk regulation of innovations. Candidates who wish to apply for this project, please indicate vacancy number RI02 in your application. Preference is given to candidates with a strong background in regulation of innovations in financial markets.

Social innovation in health care: This case study addresses bottom-up initiatives in health care with more involvement from citizens, entrepreneurs and local networks. We study their contribution to effectiveness, equal access and justice of health care provision. Preference is given to candidates with a strong background in governance of social innovations in healthcare, with experience of (or willingness to learn) systematic reviews, field and lab experiments. Candidates who aim to apply for this project, please indicate vacancy number RI03 in your application.
Requirements

We look for enthusiastic scholars who match the set-up and substance of the Resilient Societies theme and its programs. We expect them to:

- conduct postdoctoral research within one of the three programs;
- contribute to the overall coordination and direction of the research program;
- be active in developing the external network of professionals and academics;
- be responsible for external and internal communication on activities, projects and research;
- participate in the organization of research activities and events, such as conferences, workshops and joint publications;
- regularly present intermediate research results at (inter)national workshops and conferences, and publish them in proceedings and leading journals;
- lecture on subjects in the Faculty’s curriculum.

Further details:
http://www.academictransfer.com