Are you interested in international development? Are you not afraid of using both qualitative and quantitative research methods? Do you want to push the boundaries of economic thought and practice? Then this job may be for you:

The Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is seeking a Research Assistant for two years for the project ‘Time to pay up? Reparations and global development challenges’ (REPAIR).

The REPAIR project studies empirically how reparations payments are justified, made and received around the world. Our research team consists of the principal investigator (PI) Dr Felix Stein, a PhD candidate, a postdoctoral researcher, a junior researcher (this could be you!), and an administrative assistant.

Together, we will ask:

1. When and how reparations are established, paid and received in international development settings.
2. What that teaches us about international development from a moral, political and economic perspective.
3. How the global push for reparations challenges existing economic thought and practice.

The project uses mixed methods to answer these questions. On the qualitative side, we ask people in three in-depth case studies how they justify reparations claims and payments, what kind of harm they think can or cannot be repaired and what meanings they ascribe to money.

We also investigate which reparations programmes reach their stated goals, and how they challenge existing logics of international aid and investment. On the quantitative side we establish and analyse an open-access dataset of the largest reparations payments around the world from World War II until today. The project is funded by a Starting Grant from the European Research Council. The postdoctoral position is embedded in the research group Moving Matters.

Your tasks

• Your main task will be to build and analyse the quantitative dataset of large reparations payments from WWII until today, in close collaboration with the PI. Data collection will be based on a systematic literature review of major political economy databases.
• Together with the PI you will publish at least two articles on the database
• Next to working on and managing your own research, you will contribute to collaborative aspects of the project. This will include collecting data for jointly written publication(s) and sharing expertise with team members.
• You will be asked to co-organize and participate in scholarly activities such as conferences, workshops and seminars and to contribute to popular dissemination of research results.
• You will help with administrative tasks related to the project, including reporting and co-writing follow-up grant applications.
• You should be based in the Amsterdam area to take an active part in team meetings and the research environment at the Department.

You have:

• a master’s degree or equivalent with a relevant specialization in the social sciences or humanities (such as anthropology, development economics, development studies, economics, sociology, human geography, or international relations for example)
• experience conducting quantitative research;
• excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• independent thinking and critical analytical skills;
• excellent collaboration and teamwork ability and the ability to thrive in an interdisciplinary team.

You preferably have:

• relevant research experience studying international development, development economics or reparations
• an affinity with qualitative and quantitative research or experience of using mixed methods.

The position concerns temporary employment of 38 hours per week for a maximum term of two years and will preferably start in the summer of 2024.

For this position the University Job Classification profile “Researcher” applies. Salary depends on past education and relevant work experience, with a minimum salary of €3,226 and a maximum salary of €5,090 gross per month (salary scale 10), based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week, as per the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.

The position also covers basic travel and research costs and provides ample opportunities to attend training courses and both national and international events.

The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development.

What else do we offer

• An opportunity to work on a topic that is relevant to a lot of people and promises to shape policy debates and international relations for years to come
• An enthusiastic and warm team that is open to new colleagues
• A job in which initiative and critical thinking are encouraged and supported
• An inspiring academic and international community in the heart of Amsterdam

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The UvA is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds. A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization.

The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future. Want to know more about us? Read more about working at the UvA.