We are looking for a PhD candidate to join our international research team. The position is part of the 5-year research programme, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), entitled “Reputation Matters in the Regulatory State: Re-thinking the Fundamentals of Regulatory Independence, Credibility and Accountability” (EU_RICA), led by Dr. Madalina Busuioc (principal investigator). For more information see the project website euricaerc.eu.

Accountability is a fundamental principle of public administration and a key concern of modern governance. The rise of regulatory public bodies, exercising increasingly salient tasks while operating at arm’s length from traditional controls, is said to give rise to fundamental systemic challenges in this respect. The focus of this project is on understanding the drivers behind growing — and counter-intuitive — patterns of accountability-seeking among such actors, and implications thereof for public sector accountability more broadly.
An increasing number of public sector bodies/regulatory agencies (such as food safety agencies, environmental or pharmaceutical regulators etc.), are found to actively seek to give account, above and beyond their formal obligations. They are reported to pro-actively provide information, to solicit accountability and to have initiated a whole set of accountability practices and mechanisms toward third parties, stakeholders or other institutional actors on a voluntary basis, in the absence of any formal obligation to render account. Such behaviour is counter-intuitive and remains largely unexplained. What drives these voluntary accountability practices? And what are their implications for public sector accountability more broadly? Can these efforts be harnessed to secure good governance? See project outline Voluntary Accountability: Pro-Active Accountability Practices.

The project centers on studying accountability in a regulation context. The project is comparative, cross-national, with a specific focus on a selected sample of (EU-level and national) jurisdictions.

You will have the opportunity to develop as an academic, to hone your research and methods skills, as part of an enthusiastic, multi-disciplinary team carrying out an ambitious and innovative EU-funded project, within a thriving public administration department.

• We are looking for a motivated candidate who can make the sub-project his/her own intellectual product, while executing the project in synergy with the other projects in the programme and in line with the demands and deliverables of the overall ERC programme;
• A completed (or will have completed prior to start date) Master’s degree in public administration/political science, or another relevant field of social sciences;
• Knowledge of and strong interest in the research topic;
• Possess solid training in research methods (both quantitative and qualitative skills are a plus) and willingness and interest to develop these skills further during the PhD;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and the ability to effectively communicate with external audiences; Working knowledge of another EU Member State language is a plus;
• An outstanding, demonstrable track-record of academic performance;
• Interest and enthusiasm for comparative public administration and regulation research.

The successful candidate will be part of an ambitious and dynamic research team. We offer a fixed-term post for a period of one year with an extension of additional three years after positive evaluation of capabilities and compatibility. Ultimately the appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Start date: preferably June 2018 but no later than 1st September 2018.
Salary ranges from €2,222 gross per month in the first year to €2,840 gross per month in year four, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. More at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions.

All our PhD candidates are embedded in the graduate school of the Netherlands Institute of Government www.utwente.nl/nig/training/. The graduate school offers a combination of courses and tutorials, which aim at increasing disciplinary knowledge and methodology. 

Diversity
Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Universiteit Leiden

Leiden is a typical university city, hosting the oldest university in the Netherlands (1575). The University permeates the local surroundings; University premises are scattered throughout the city, and the students who live and study in Leiden give the city its relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere.

Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. This prominent position gives our graduates a leading edge in applying for academic posts and for functions outside academia. More at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at.

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/werken-bij

Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs

The project is embedded at the Institute of Public Administration of Leiden University. The Institute is one of the largest and oldest institutes of academic research and teaching in the field of public administration in the Netherlands. The Institute combines a solid international academic reputation with a central positioning among the international, national, regional and local governance institutions of The Hague. The Institute of Public Administration has consistently received high ratings in peer reviews of both its teaching and research programmes. The Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs offers academic education in the field of Public Administration, Safety and Security, and International Relations, as well as in-depth post-academic programmes for professionals. The Institute of Public Administration is located in the Wijnhaven building, on the university’s campus in The Hague. We are a mere five minutes’ walk from The Hague Central Station and a 20-minute bike/tram ride to the beach. 

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/governance-and-global-affairs