Postdoctoral Fellow – Political Polarization

Position: 
Researcher
Location: 
Budapest
Status: 
Full-time
Unit: 
CEU Democracy Institute
E-mail: 
[email protected]
Application deadline date: 
March 15, 2023
Starting date : 
July 1, 2023

Starting date:                    July 01, 2023, exact date negotiable

The Democracy Institute (DI) of the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest invites applications for two 2-year positions of postdoctoral research fellows at the DI research group on De- and Re-Democratization (DRD, https://democracyinstitute.ceu.edu/research/de-and-re-democratization-drd ).

The successful candidates are expected to carry out independent empirical research on the origins, dynamics, or consequences of political polarization in modern democracies. We particularly welcome systematic research on the following aspects:

• The manifestations and dynamics of polarizing conflicts in the public sphere
• The democratic dimension of political polarization (mutual perceptions of adversaries as “democratic threats”)
• Explanations of citizen support for democratic norm violations under conditions of polarization
• Political remedies against polarization

We would be pleased to receive proposals of comparative research on the Global South (as well as candidacies by scholars in the Global South). In the spirit of theoretical and methodological pluralism, we are open to quantitative as well as qualitative approaches.

Qualifications
We seek applicants with a record (or strong promise) of relevant and internationally recognized publications in the research area, familiarity with current political affairs, and a keen interest in networking and institution building. Candidates must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English. They must have a PhD in hand at the deadline of application.

What we offer
We offer a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience as well as a dynamic and international academic environment.

Mobility
The successful candidates will be encouraged to spend a short time (for example three months) in one of the external partner institutions of the International Polarization Observatory (Science Po in Paris and LSE in London). This mobility scheme allows postdoctoral fellows from these institutions to showcase and develop their research in different contexts, with different research partners and specialties.

How to apply

Applicants need to submit:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Envisioned individual research project on political polarization: title, abstract, and project outline (1000 words maximum, without bibliography)
• Job market paper
• Names and contact details of two scholars who could supply recommendation letters in case the candidate is shortlisted for the job. The referees will be contacted by CEU DI.

Please send your complete application package as one single pdf file to: [email protected] – including job code in subject line: 2023/011

Informal inquiries can be addressed to Andreas Schedler <[email protected] >, Head of the DI research group on De- and Re-Democratization and Chair of the Search Committee.
Interviews of shortlisted candidates are expected to take place online in April 2023.

CEU is an equal opportunity employer and values geographical and gender diversity, thus encouraging applications from women and/or other underrepresented groups. Since CEU strives to increase the share of women in professorial positions, given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants.
Previous training, work experience and/or engagement with matters of equality, diversity and inclusion at the organizational level will be an asset.

CEU recognises that personal and family circumstances shape the trajectory of one’s career and working patterns. We encourage applicants to detail periods of leave, part-time work or other such situations in their applications so that the Search Committee can assess an applicant’s academic record fairly in the context of their circumstances. Any declaration of personal and family circumstances is voluntary and will be handled confidentially and only considered in so far as it impacts on the academic career of an applicant.

About CEU

Central European University (CEU) is a research-intensive university specializing in the social sciences, humanities, law, public policy and management. It is accredited in the United States, Austria and Hungary. CEU's mission is to promote academic excellence, state-of-the-art research, research-based teaching and learning and civic engagement, in order to contribute to the development of open societies. CEU offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs and enrolls more than 1,400 students from over 100 countries. The teaching staff consists of resident faculty from over 50 countries and prominent visiting scholars from around the world. The language of instruction is English.

For more information, please visit https://www.ceu.edu/ .

CEU is an equal opportunity employer.

The privacy of your personal information is very important to us. We collect, use, and store your personal information in accordance with the requirements of the applicable data privacy rules, including specifically the General Data Protection Regulation. To learn more about how we manage your personal data during the recruitment process, please see our Privacy Notice at: https://www.ceu.edu/recruitment-privacy-notice  (Hungary: Közép-európai Egyetem, Central European University) or https://www.ceu.edu/recruitment-privacy-notice-austria  (Austria: Central European University, CEU Central European University Private University).