PhD Position in Political Science

Democracies are commonly seen as able to channel contestation through institutionalized processes and nonviolent action. Yet, democratic polities frequently experience a broad range of political violence — from riots and organized electoral intimidation to extremist mobilization and criminal violence — and violence can test and, at times, erode democratic norms and institutions. Moreover, democracies themselves may respond to perceived threats with measures (e.g., militarized policing, emergency legislation, selective repression) that threaten to undermine core features of liberal democracy such as the rule of law, civil liberties and institutional impartiality.

The DIViNE Doctoral Network (
Democratic Institutions and Violence Network in Europe
) consolidates comparative, historical, theoretical and methodological strands to build a coherent new research program on political violence in democracies.

The position is part of WP2 on Democratization and Conflict Resolution, which explores the implications of regime transitions for patterns of violence. The PhD project analyzes endogenous processes through which political violence
persists within democracies
, focusing on how transitions reshape rent‑seeking incentives, decentralization bargains, and relationships between national incumbents and local elites. It theorizes that democratization may inadvertently generate new incentives for electoral, ethnic, or criminal violence, depending on the nature of rents, types of institutional reforms, or elite‑local configurations. Empirical work will combine cross‑national statistical analysis
, subnational mixed‑methods studies
, and process
tracing in Global South contexts. The project will contribute a unified theoretical framework explaining why violence endures despite formal democratic reforms.

The doctoral trajectory includes a three‑month secondment at Uppsala University and IDEA in Sweden, which will provide applied exposure to policy debates on democratization, institutional design, and violence prevention, alongside training in comparative policy analysis.

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You will:

• be affiliated with the AISSR and participate in its organized PhD training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the Faculty of Social Sciences with the goal of obtaining the degree of PhD.
• conduct PhD research on democratization and the persistence of political violence, including quantitative analysis of data, surveys and survey experiments, and fieldwork interviews.

• co‑author publications with other project members;

• take active part in DIViNE training network activities including network training modules, PhD colloquia, research workshops, secondments, and training workshops;
• take active part of the research environment at the AISSR, including PII research seminars, AISSR center activities, among others.
• teach Bachelor‑level courses, depending upon availability and as suitable for the PhD schedule (for a max. of 10%).
• assist with administrative responsibilities related to the project, such as the organization of workshops, conferences, or other project events.
• make Amsterdam (or a location within commuting distance) your primary residence for the initial three years of the PhD project, and Göttingen (or a location within commuting distance) for the one‑year extension. We will assist with finding adequate housing and with applying for visa and residence permits.

You have the following credentials:

Essential:

• a Master’s degree or equivalent in political science or closely related discipline. The degree must have been obtained by the start of your employment;
• an excellent…