The University of Amsterdam’s Law School has a vacancy for a Junior researcher (Organizational Scientist) in Law’s Influence on Behaviour.

n May 2019 a five year research project will be launched, entitled ‘Homo Juridicus, Correcting Law’s Behavioural Illiteracy’. The research project is directed by Benjamin van Rooij, professor in Law and Society, and is financed by the European Union, European Research Council (ERC), by means of a consolidator grant.
The project seeks to develop a behavioural jurisprudence that makes the law’s behavioural function in shaping future conduct central. To do so it empirically studies assumptions that selected lawyers (prosecutors, regulators and corporate counsel) have about how their work shapes behaviour. It compares these assumptions with available scientific knowledge to unearth and correct the biases and flaws in how lawyers think about behaviour.
The project will be embedded within the Faculty of Law’s Amsterdam Paul Scholten Center for Jurisprudence (PSC).
For this research the Amsterdam Law School is seeking a Junior Researcher for this project, who will work with the PI, the senior researcher and three PhD researchers.
The Junior Researcher will collaborate with in the project to systematically analyse available scientific evidence for each of the core mechanisms through which comes to shape behaviour (punishment, social norms, capacity/opportunity, unconscious, and organizational). It will build and expand on existing literature reviews. All of this will culminate in the first comprehensive understanding of the body of scientific work about law and behaviour and will form the basis not just for this project but for the broader field of compliance studies. The Junior Researcher will work with the PI and the senior researcher to develop these reviews. Work will include developing a systematic method to select studies to be included in the review, collect studies, prepare tables with the main methods, findings and limits of these studies, conduct meta-analysis of data across multiple studies (where possible) and collaborate with the PI and senior researchers on making drafts of review papers.

Tasks

The position is a research position.

The selected candidate will:

• carry out (supervised and supported by the senior researcher and the PI) high-quality scientific research that will form the basis for academic publications in international peer reviewed journals;
• actively contribute to the ERC-project as a whole, including cooperation with the principal investigator and other researchers in the ERC-team;
• actively contribute to the research community in the Law Faculty, in particular at PSC;
• participate in the organization of research activities and events, such as conferences, workshops and joint publications.

You must have:

• a completed Master degree (MA, Msc or equivalent) in organizational science (organizational psychology, management science or business administration) or a closely related discipline)) with expertise in quantitative skills and good broad knowledge of organizational science theory and empirics. Experience with meta-analysis is appreciated;
• demonstrable research knowledge of and interest in law and behaviour;
• an excellent command of English (written and spoken);
• an interest in comparative research;
• the ability to work in a team.

The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract for one year. Upon positive evaluation of the performance the contract will be extended by one more year.

The gross monthly salary will be in accordance with the salary scales for research candidates at Dutch universities, scale 10, ranging from €2,709 to €4,274 gross per month (full-time equivalent). Secondary benefits at Dutch universities are attractive and include 8% holiday pay and an 8,3% end-of-year Bonus. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

http://www.uva.nl/en/home

Amsterdam Law School

The University of Amsterdam’s Law School prides itself on its international orientation and strong social commitment. This is reflected by both its research and educational activities. The Amsterdam Law School offers three Bachelor’s programmes, including the interdisciplinary English-language Bachelor Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) in cooperation with two other Faculties, as well as a variety of Master's programmes, several of which are taught exclusively in English (i.e. International and European Law, European Private Law, International Criminal Law, and Law & Finance). The Amsterdam Law School prepares students for a wide variety of legal careers including law firms, government, business and industry, the national and international judiciary, public service, human rights advocacy, and academia. With 3,700 students and over 400 staff members, it is one of the largest law faculties in the Netherlands.

The junior researcher will be working in the department of General Jurisprudence

https://www.uva.nl/en/faculty/amsterdam-law-school/amsterdam-law-school.html