Research project
The project’s objective is to understand how EU policy access is biased towards lobbyists from privileged socio-demographic backgrounds and why. Interest groups, including NGOs, business associations and labour unions, are key channels of policy representation. Nevertheless, interest groups’ democratic credentials are contested, and their representatives, so-called lobbyists, tend to have a negative reputation. In reality, we know very little about the people involved in lobbying—and even less about how lobbyists’ backgrounds affect their chances of securing access to policymakers. To study this, the project implements desk research, surveys and vignette experiments with EU lobbyists and policymakers.

Your contribution will be to undertake the core research activities of the project, in close consultation with the PhD candidates, a research assistant and the project leader. You will conduct extensive desk research and manage and implement a survey with EU lobbyists and policymakers. You will conduct original research on the relationship between lobbyists’ socio-demographic characteristics and their access to EU policymakers and institutions. You will explore the role of lobbying skills and competences in overcoming sociodemographic biases that may exist.
Your research will be located in the Politics and Culture in Europe research programme at FASoS. (see: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/fasos-research-institute/research-programmes/politics-and-culture-europe).

Job description
You will:

• Conduct fundamental research in Political Science in the field of interest group politics and contribute to academic publications within the ACCESS4ALL project;
• Assist in the day to day supervision of PhD students and overall project management and support administrative aspects of the project;
• Play a significant coordinating and executive role in the data collection and management process. This will involve designing and conducting desk research, designing and coordinating survey and vignette research, establishing, updating, and merging datasets, and other relevant research activities;
• Actively engage as a member of the faculty and the broader academic community and present your work to academic audiences;
• Engage in teaching activities (20%), such as tutoring (methodological) courses or supervising BA and MA theses;
• Align with Maastricht University’s core values of academic citizenship, leadership, teamwork, and impact/open science as developed within the framework of the Dutch Recognition and Reward policy.

Profile

• You hold a doctoral degree in political science or a related discipline (communication, sociology, psychology, public policy, economics) or are currently finalizing your doctoral studies in one of these disciplines.
• You possess a strong foundation in quantitative methodology and a positivist mindset. You are proficient in using statistical packages, such as Stata or R.
• You have a strong academic record, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications in academic journals or other forms of notable academic contributions.
• You possess a keen interest in the fields of lobbying, interest group politics, civil society organizations, and/or social movement organizations.
• You are highly motivated and passionate about the research project and eager to invest your time and energy for a meaningful period in helping us achieve the project’s goals.
• You can manage your time and your research activities well. You are capable of autonomously conducting original research as well as working in a team. You are flexible, open-minded, growth-oriented, and eager to learn.
• You have a demonstrated passion for education and have had some experience as an academic teacher. You are excited about the opportunity to contribute to our faculty’s innovative approach to teaching and learning.
• You are willing to relocate to (the vicinity of) Maastricht and/or to be present at the FASoS campus three days per week.
• You are fluent in English (Cambridge English Proficiency, level C2, orally and written).

What we offer

As Postdoc at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 11 according to UFO profile Researcher, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €4,332 and €5,929 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE with the possibility of an extension for an additional 2 years following positive evaluation.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Starting date: preferably 1 September 2024.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University

Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences FASoS is a close-knit community of approximately 250 staff members and 2100 students. During breaks and before meetings, you can often find us at our favourite local coffee spot Bandito Espresso.

Communication lines within our faculty are short and colleagues are always ready to assist each other. FASoS consists of a highly international student population and a significant part of our staff comes from abroad. Our faculty offers four bachelor programs, eight masters programs and two research master programs that are all characterized by their interdisciplinary approach.

Our research institute studies societies and cultures as they have developed in the modern and contemporary periods. We adopt a radically interdisciplinary approach, analysing the interconnections between Europeanization, globalization, scientific and technological advancement, political change, and cultural innovation.

In addition to teaching and research, our colleagues enjoy expressing themselves creatively. They create podcasts, write poetry as well as fiction.

Working at FASoS means working in a challenging yet informal environment. We believe in crafting your own career path and are always ready to help you in making the most of your job. For more information about FASoS, you can visit our website FASoS