PhD Studentship in Political Science Comparative Political Behaviour focus

About The Position

We are offering one PhD position in comparative political behaviour with a focus on gender gaps in political-democratic orientations. The successful applicant will participate in the research project Struggling Women and Men:
Political-Democratic Gender Gaps in a High-Trust Welfare State (STRUGGLE), funded by the Norwegian Research Council. The PhD fellowship period is three years and devoted to carrying out research and pursuing a PhD in the context of the STRUGGLE project. The position may also include other career-enhancing activities: depending on the candidate's competence and the teaching needs of the department, the fellowship period can be extended up to four years for qualification work consisting of e.g. teaching duties.

The STRUGGLE project, which involves several senior scholars at UiO and beyond, breaks new ground by analyzing the impact of gendered (male as well as female) life experiences and grievances across the life course. These are related to domains such as education, work, family, physical and mental health, and public policy experiences. How do gendered life experiences in these domains generate political-democratic gender gaps, seen for example in political trust, welfare state legitimacy, political participation, and voting behaviour?

How do different gendered grievances interact across the life course? The project has a focus on Norway/Scandinavia in a broader European comparative perspective. More information about the project can be found here: STRUGGLE project website. The PhD project should align broadly with the framework of the STRUGGLE project, but PhD candidates also have much flexibility to pursue their own approach and research agenda.

The project proposal should above all include a tentative overall thematic and theoretical framework, along with at least three ideas for academic articles (see below). The successful candidate will be part of the Social Science Faculty's PhD programme. The work is expected to lead to a PhD in political science. To promote a strategic career path, all PhD fellows are expected to submit a career development plan, specifying career goals and the competencies that the PhD fellow should acquire, no later than one month after commencement of the fellowship period.

The department is responsible for ensuring that the plan is followed up and that the PhD fellow has access to career guidance throughout the duration of the fellowship.

• Education equivalent to five years at university level in Norway, with two years (120 credits) at Master's level in a relevant field. The MA thesis must be equivalent to at least half a year’s workload, i.e. 30 ECTS.
• The Master’s degree must include relevant education in research methods.

• Applicants must have a very good to excellent command of English (written and oral).
• Additional language skills in a Scandinavian language are an advantage, but not a requirement.
• Applicants are required to possess robust empirical research knowledge within the realm of political science. They should be proficient in conducting quantitative analyses.
• Experience with programming in R or equivalent programs is an advantage but not a requirement.

The evaluation of applicants primarily hinges on their documented academic qualifications and the research proposal. During the initial screening phase, a strong emphasis is placed on formal qualifications and academic grades, where top-tier grades and a highly commendable MA thesis are generally prerequisites for shortlisting. In the subsequent phase, the importance of the research proposal increases significantly. Additionally, factors such as personal suitability, motivation, and alignment with the project team are considered.

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO's work on equality, inclusion, and diversity . We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and…