Do you want to understand efforts to help people in low-income countries deal with climate change? Are you interested in developing new methodologies to “follow the money” associated with such efforts? Do you want to generate insights relevant for climate change policy and the global movement for climate justice?

The Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join the project “ClimateFiGS: Understanding the Allocation of Climate Finance in the Global South.” The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by Dr. Ruth Carlitz.

The impact of climate change on people’s lives and livelihoods is increasingly hard to ignore and is moreover characterized by trenchant inequities. In response, wealthy nations have pledged to mobilize US$100 billion annually in “climate finance” to help their more vulnerable counterparts. The past decade has seen climate finance double, but we know very little about what happens when these resources reach their intended beneficiaries in the Global South. As such, we lack information about where and how climate finance can have the greatest impact, and what constitutes the greatest areas of unmet need.

ClimateFiGS develops new theory and methods to understand the allocation and spending of climate finance within Global South countries. The project aims to generate new global data on the mobilization of climate finance, while also studying detailed patterns of budget allocation and expenditure in three purposefully selected African countries. The project further adapts methods from social activism to map the power dynamics that drive climate finance decision making within countries and traces the processes that lead certain sectors and districts to be prioritized.

What are you going to do?
A postdoctoral researcher with relevant skills and interests is sought to assist with two subprojects that aim to understand (1) what drives variation in the mobilization of climate finance across all eligible countries and (2) tracks the allocation and expenditure of climate finance in Tanzania, South Africa, and a third African country to be determined in earlier stages of the project.

Specifically, you will:

• Conduct high-quality research within the framework of the project, including collection and analysis of foreign aid and budgetary data;
• Write academic articles with other team members (including the PI, the PhDs, and other associated researchers at the UvA and other institutions);
• Assist with administrative responsibilities related to the project, including organization of workshops, writing deliverables, data management, and dissemination of project findings in general audience venues;
• Co-support and mentor PhD students and junior researchers working on the project;
• Be affiliated with and take active part in the research environment at the the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR);
• Teach in the political science BSc or MSc programme

You are expected to live in Amsterdam (or within commuting distance) and take active part in team meetings and the research environment at the AISSR. Mentoring and support to prepare for your next career steps will be available and facilitated. It is possible to gain teaching and supervision experience during the period of employment.

The following qualifications are essential:

• a PhD degree or equivalent with a relevant specialization within the social sciences. Political Science, Environmental Studies, Development Economics, and Development Studies are preferred academic backgrounds. The degree must have been obtained before the employment starting date;
• excellent publication record (i.e., publications in highly-ranked international journals) or demonstrated potential thereof;
• Interest in climate change policy and climate finance, and willingness to develop additional subject-matter expertise;
• Interest in teaching on topics related to research interests to political science bachelor and master students;
• excellent command of quantitative research methods, including panel regression, analysis of large administrative datasets, and statistical programming in Stata/R/Python/etc.;
• excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
• a commitment to academic integrity and transparency;
• independent thinking and critical analytical skills;
• the ability to work independently as well as collaborate in an interdisciplinary team;

The following qualifications are desirable:

• demonstrated expertise in research on climate finance in Africa/the global south;
• experience analyzing data generated by foreign aid agencies and African governments;
• experience teaching courses in Political Science at the bachelor or master level;
• experience designing and implementing survey experiments

This is a temporary employment contract for 31 - 38 hours per week, for the duration of three years (36 months.) Depending on education and relevant work experience, the salary amounts to a minimum of €4,332 and a maximum of €5,090 gross per month (scale 11.0-11.5) based on full-time working hours (38 hours per week), excluding 8% vacation allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The Collective Action Agreement (CAO) Dutch Universities is applicable. In addition, we offer an extensive package of secondary employment conditions, including a generous vacation scheme and year-end bonus, and we believe it is important that you continue to develop and professionalize yourself. To this end, we offer excellent study and development opportunities.

What else can we offer you?
A challenging workplace with varied tasks and plenty of room for personal initiative and development in an inspiring organization. You will be embedded in the collaborative Political Economy and Transnational Governance (PETGOV) programme group of the Department of Political Science. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences plays a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges facing the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

Working at the UvA means working in a critical, independent, innovative and international climate, with an open atmosphere and a strong commitment to Amsterdam and its (international) society.

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest range of courses. An intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 staff and 3,000 PhD students. Connected by a culture of curiosity.

Curious about our organization and attractive fringe benefits such as a generous vacation plan and development opportunities? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam here.