Two fully-funded PhD positions on platform work regulation (0.8 - 1.0 FTE)
Two fully-funded PhD positions on platform work regulation (0.8 - 1.0 FTE)
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Job description
Two fully-funded PhD positions at Utrecht University’s Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance on Platform work regulation:
'Towards responsive regulation of platform work’ (Governance);
'Platform work and collective bargaining in current Competition Law’ (Law).
With the growth of the platform economy platform work has also increased. This platform work increase has given rise to institutional tensions and incompatibility with existing laws, regulations and monitoring arrangements, including those covering labour, and competition. As part of a wider interdisciplinary project, the Faculty of Law, Governance and Economics is offering two fully-funded, four-year PhD-positions focusing on aspects of platform work regulation.
Project 1 ‘Towards responsive regulation of platform work’ is embedded within the School of Governance and investigates the public responses to platform work by analysing regulatory and enforcement strategies of various inspectorates regarding excessive working hours and discrimination, ownership of digital cv or public aspects, such as nuisance or traffic safety. How have local and national enforcement agencies approached platform companies in regulatory practice?
The project focuses on skills, competencies, tools and strategies of regulatory professionals at local and national inspectorates to respond to innovative forms of labour. The PhD candidate will use data collection, including an online review, case studies of enforcement policies, virtual ethnography, and interviews with regulatory professionals, platform companies, workers and their representatives. A living lab approach will be adopted to study emerging strategies and evaluate their effectiveness. The findings will be used to design a toolkit and teaching modules of smart enforcement in collaboration with regulatory professionals (Inspection Council). In addition, the PhD candidate will provide input for an experiment involving regulation-by-design.
Project 2 ‘Collective bargaining in current competition law’ is embedded primarily within the School of Law. This project starts from the status of platform workers as independent contractors and resulting in lack of insurance and pensions among them, impairing the social solidarity and sustainability of the (Dutch) social security system and giving rise to (possibly worrisome) forms of marketizing labour. The PhD candidate will focus on whether the current European competition law in relation to collective bargaining and cooperation is extendable to cover platform workers. The candidate will conduct an legal investigation into the current legal system’s basis, rules and applications, as well as a normative investigation into how the law should be shaped. For the latter, the PhD candidate will develop a normative framework based on moral/social values surrounding decent labour (relations), as well as the values emanating from the European constitutional context.
Host institute and team
The projects will be carried out in a collaborative setting. The project ‘Towards responsive regulation’ is a collaboration between Prof Judith van Erp and Dr Rianne Dekker (Utrecht University School of Governance), Dr Arnt Mein (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) and the PhD candidate. The PhD candidate will be employed at the Utrecht School of Governance in the research group Public Governance and Management and participate in the Graduate School of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance and the PhD programme of the Netherlands Institute for Governance (NIG).
The project ‘Collective bargaining in current competition law’ is a collaboration between Prof Anna Gerbrandy (Utrecht University School of Law) and Prof Rutger Claassen (Utrecht University Ethics Institute) and a PhD candidate. Close collaboration will also take place with the PhD project team, based at the University of Amsterdam, led by Dr Hanneke Bennaars and focusing on labour law protection of platform workers. The PhD candidate will be employed by the School of Law and
participate in the Graduate School of the Faculty of Law, Governance and Economics and the PhD programme Ius Commune and will be embedded within the School of Law’s research group Regulation and Enforcement in Europe.
Both projects are part of a wider NWO-funded project called PlatWork-R, bringing together scholars from five Dutch universities and Statistics Netherlands (CBS), as well as various stakeholders including several ministries and social partners.
PlatWork-R is an interdisciplinary project combining economics, sociology, law, public administration and design science to investigate (regulatory options for) platform work. As a PhD candidate, you will be part of a larger group of seven researchers at Dutch universities, who will jointly participate in PhD-training and project workshops throughout your project. Both PhD candidates will thus be able to benefit from wider research communities. Coaching and a good support structure are part of the strengths of these PhD programmes.
'Towards responsive regulation of platform work’ (Governance);
'Platform work and collective bargaining in current Competition Law’ (Law).
With the growth of the platform economy platform work has also increased. This platform work increase has given rise to institutional tensions and incompatibility with existing laws, regulations and monitoring arrangements, including those covering labour, and competition. As part of a wider interdisciplinary project, the Faculty of Law, Governance and Economics is offering two fully-funded, four-year PhD-positions focusing on aspects of platform work regulation.
Project 1 ‘Towards responsive regulation of platform work’ is embedded within the School of Governance and investigates the public responses to platform work by analysing regulatory and enforcement strategies of various inspectorates regarding excessive working hours and discrimination, ownership of digital cv or public aspects, such as nuisance or traffic safety. How have local and national enforcement agencies approached platform companies in regulatory practice?
The project focuses on skills, competencies, tools and strategies of regulatory professionals at local and national inspectorates to respond to innovative forms of labour. The PhD candidate will use data collection, including an online review, case studies of enforcement policies, virtual ethnography, and interviews with regulatory professionals, platform companies, workers and their representatives. A living lab approach will be adopted to study emerging strategies and evaluate their effectiveness. The findings will be used to design a toolkit and teaching modules of smart enforcement in collaboration with regulatory professionals (Inspection Council). In addition, the PhD candidate will provide input for an experiment involving regulation-by-design.
Project 2 ‘Collective bargaining in current competition law’ is embedded primarily within the School of Law. This project starts from the status of platform workers as independent contractors and resulting in lack of insurance and pensions among them, impairing the social solidarity and sustainability of the (Dutch) social security system and giving rise to (possibly worrisome) forms of marketizing labour. The PhD candidate will focus on whether the current European competition law in relation to collective bargaining and cooperation is extendable to cover platform workers. The candidate will conduct an legal investigation into the current legal system’s basis, rules and applications, as well as a normative investigation into how the law should be shaped. For the latter, the PhD candidate will develop a normative framework based on moral/social values surrounding decent labour (relations), as well as the values emanating from the European constitutional context.
Host institute and team
The projects will be carried out in a collaborative setting. The project ‘Towards responsive regulation’ is a collaboration between Prof Judith van Erp and Dr Rianne Dekker (Utrecht University School of Governance), Dr Arnt Mein (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) and the PhD candidate. The PhD candidate will be employed at the Utrecht School of Governance in the research group Public Governance and Management and participate in the Graduate School of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance and the PhD programme of the Netherlands Institute for Governance (NIG).
The project ‘Collective bargaining in current competition law’ is a collaboration between Prof Anna Gerbrandy (Utrecht University School of Law) and Prof Rutger Claassen (Utrecht University Ethics Institute) and a PhD candidate. Close collaboration will also take place with the PhD project team, based at the University of Amsterdam, led by Dr Hanneke Bennaars and focusing on labour law protection of platform workers. The PhD candidate will be employed by the School of Law and
participate in the Graduate School of the Faculty of Law, Governance and Economics and the PhD programme Ius Commune and will be embedded within the School of Law’s research group Regulation and Enforcement in Europe.
Both projects are part of a wider NWO-funded project called PlatWork-R, bringing together scholars from five Dutch universities and Statistics Netherlands (CBS), as well as various stakeholders including several ministries and social partners.
PlatWork-R is an interdisciplinary project combining economics, sociology, law, public administration and design science to investigate (regulatory options for) platform work. As a PhD candidate, you will be part of a larger group of seven researchers at Dutch universities, who will jointly participate in PhD-training and project workshops throughout your project. Both PhD candidates will thus be able to benefit from wider research communities. Coaching and a good support structure are part of the strengths of these PhD programmes.
Specifications
- 32—40 hours per week
- €2443—€3122 per month
- Utrecht View on Google Maps
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Utrecht University
Requirements
We are looking for candidates with a completed Master’s degree, demonstrated affinity with conducting interdisciplinary research and an interest in the public regulation and governance of the platform economy.
The ideal candidate:
For the position based at the School of Governance a background in public administration and/or public management, political science, sociology, regulation, governance, European governance, or criminology is required. Candidates with a uniquely legal profile will not be selected.
For the position based at the School of Law a strong legal background, preferably including competition law (for example, but not exclusively, by having an LLM-diploma) is required. A demonstrable affinity with normative analysis as conducted in (moral/political) philosophy will be favourably considered.
The ideal candidate:
- works in a structured way;
- is able to process large amounts of information;
- is independent yet has a collaborative attitude;
- has an interest in working with external stakeholders;
- relevant methodological and writing skills, acquired through training in, e.g., a Research Master's programme, are required;
- has a level of proficiency in Dutch, to enable easy interaction with societal stakeholders.
For the position based at the School of Governance a background in public administration and/or public management, political science, sociology, regulation, governance, European governance, or criminology is required. Candidates with a uniquely legal profile will not be selected.
For the position based at the School of Law a strong legal background, preferably including competition law (for example, but not exclusively, by having an LLM-diploma) is required. A demonstrable affinity with normative analysis as conducted in (moral/political) philosophy will be favourably considered.
Conditions of employment
You will be offered a temporary position (0.8 - 1.0 FTE), initially for a period of of eighteen months. Upon a good performance, the contract will be extended for 2.5 more years. The gross salary ranges between €2,443 in the first year and €3,122 in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.
Employer
A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.
The Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance is a faculty at the heart of society, with a strong focus on social issues. Our subjects of law, economics and governance give us a strong mix of academic disciplines that complement and enhance each other. This is a unique combination and a mark of our faculty's strength.
