Last application date Aug 01, 2025 00:00
Department PS03 - Department of Political Sciences
Contract Limited duration
Degree Master in political science, sociology, public administration, or in any other field of social sciences with comparable qualifications.
Occupancy rate 100%
Vacancy type Research staff
Job description
ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY
Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities.
With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.
For the (faculty/department/research group) we are looking for a m/f/x
Doctoral fellow
YOUR JOB
The research group GASPAR (www.gaspar.ugent.be) is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic researcher to pursue a PhD based on the 4-year research project ‘When Policy Hits Home: Understanding Losers’ Consent in the Context of Salient Policy Decisions’. Here is a short summary of the content of this project:
Democracies depend on the premise that all citizens, even losers (i.e., those who did not obtain the desired outcome in a decision-making process), comply with the law and retain a certain level of support for the political system and its procedures. In established democracies with high levels of electoral integrity, such as Belgium, obtaining losers’ consent in the context of elections has not been challenging so far. However, when it comes to the acceptance of single policy decisions, also in these countries, fierce resistance has occurred. Losers of policy decisions do not only seem to question democratic procedures, but they also seem willing to accept non-democratic behaviour in reaction to their loss. It is hence essential to gain a better understanding of losers’ consent in the context of salient policy decisions. However, the existing literature on this topic is descriptive, does not focus on the origins of losers’ consent, and has mainly been conducted in the context of elections and referendums. This project aims to address this gap by studying the origins of losers’ consent in the scope of salient policy decisions. Methodologically, the project relies on focus groups, a lab experiment, and survey experiments. By providing a better understanding of the origins of losers’ consent in the context of salient policy decisions, this project offers innovative theoretical and empirical insights that are much required for maintaining a well-functioning democracy.
A more detailed project description is available upon request (until Friday, 4th of July 2025).
Job profile
- You hold a Master's degree in political science, sociology, public administration, or in any other field of social sciences with comparable qualifications
- You think critically, creatively and systematically
- You are strongly motivated to conduct scientific research
- You want to write a doctoral dissertation based on this project (including following a PhD Training)
- You can organise and execute this research project autonomously
- You are familiar with theories and research in the social sciences
- You are familiar with experimental research methods, or you are willing to improve your knowledge about these methods
- You are familiar with statistical analysis, or you are willing to improve your knowledge about these methods
- You obtained excellent study results
- You possess good English speaking and writing skills
- You are a team player, and you are prepared to be an active on-site member of the research group who is willing to take up some responsibilities in the GASPAR team
- You are motivated to participate in international conferences and to publish in international outlets
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
- We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
- Your contract will start on 01/10/2025 at the earliest.
- The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by Team Personnel Administration based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
- All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.
How to apply
Send us your motivation letter, your CV, an overview of your study results, and a preliminary research proposal related to the project described above (in English) of 2 pages by Friday, 1st of August 2025. All these documents are preferably merged into one PDF file. This merged file should be sent to Prof. A. Kern ([email protected]).
For more information about the content of the job and/or the project, you can contact Anna Kern ([email protected] ) before Friday, 4th of July.
Last-year students (graduating in June) are especially encouraged to apply.
Job interviews will be held in the last two weeks of August.
