Postdoc position in project ‘The Business Corporation as a Political Actor’ (0.8 FTE)

Companies are being regulated by politics, but they also shape the political arena themselves, whenever they influence politicians and political parties. Moreover, companies fulfill public functions such as providing public goods, regulating their own business activities, or addressing societal problems, like environmental harms. Can such a mixture of private activity and public responsibility be legitimate in a democratic society? Do traditionally state-oriented normative ideals such as democracy, social justice and human rights apply to them? These are central questions in the ERC-Consolidator Grant-project ‘The Business Corporation as a Political Actor’. For more information, please visit the project website .

The postdoc position will execute one of the subprojects within this larger project, namely the one on ‘Economic Theories of the Corporation’. This subproject seeks to integrate insights from prevailing economic theories of the firm into the debate about the political theory of corporations. For example, can economic theories account for corporate power? To what extent do economic constraints arising from market competition make it more difficult to render corporate political power legitimate? Since corporations are both economic and political actors, the subproject aims to understand whether and how these two sides can be integrated. This is crucial for the development of a sound political theory of corporations.

In this position, you will work under the supervision of the programme leader, Rutger Claassen. The research team consists of two PhD-candidates and two postdoctoral researchers. You will play an active role in the research team, organize and take part in workshops, public events and other activities. The position is based at the Ethics Institute , which is part of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Utrecht University, which provides a stimulating and internationally oriented research environment. The position starts at September 1st, 2022.