Postdoc The right to housing, vulnerability and social inequality (1.0 FTE)

Postdoc The right to housing, vulnerability and social inequality (1.0 FTE) (222591)

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Job description

The Postdoctoral researcher (with a two-year appointment for 1.0 FTE) will focus on analysing the housing market and social inequalities from a human rights perspective.

Housing and social inequalities are closely interconnected. Because of the scarcity of affordable housing, finding a home is very difficult. Moreover, landlords exclude people of colour, or impose such conditions that vulnerable people have no access to affordable housing. Many of the options for finding a home are digital nowadays: think of commercial websites. This digital gateway to the housing market encourages further exclusion of already marginalised groups. People with no or insufficient digital skills cannot access the housing market, and it is generally unclear whether and which (algorithmic) decisions are made within the online systems.

The problems are not only of a private nature: the relationship between government and citizens is also relevant. Governments reinforce social inequality by pursuing policies that lead to gentrification, and sometimes government policies aim to keep vulnerable people out of the housing market. Examples are the Danish 'ghetto' legislation that keeps immigrants out of residential areas, and the Dutch 'Rotterdam law' that excludes people with low income from affordable housing. Again, digital decision-making (often lacking transparency) plays a role: people have to apply for permits or subsidies online. Once again, the digitalisation of the entry process and housing selection fosters social exclusion.

The postdoctoral researcher analyses these processes in the housing market from a legal-empirical perspective, and investigates how the law (including international human rights) can offer protection against social exclusion and violations of fundamental rights. Legal-normative methods and empirical techniques from data science are used. The researcher will work together with the EVICT research team, based at the University of Groningen. This team has expertise in using the techniques to collect and analyse large quantities of (legal) data, such as housing advertisements or legal rulings on housing. See: http://www.eviction.eu

The researcher is expected to successfully undertake research in the project; publish and edit peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters; as well as attend, present at, and organise conferences and workshops; and undertake (limited) teaching activities related to the project.

Department of Legal Methods
The researcher will become a member of the Department of Legal Methods, a lively legal multidisciplinary department at the faculty of law.

Qualifications

● PhD in law
● interested in and experience with legal scientific research and methodology, including comparative legal research; an interest in empirical research would be an advantage
● interested in and experience with research on the right to housing and housing law
● proficient in spoken and written English
● a working knowledge of Spanish and/or other languages will be considered an advantage
● willingness to co-supervise PhD and (researcher) master students
● ability to work both individually and as part of a team
● demonstrable competences: planning and organizing, conceptual capacity, presenting, monitoring, flexibility, independent, analytical skills.

Organisation

Since its founding in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. We encourage the 36.000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Among the best research universities in Europe, we join forces with prestigious partner universities and networks around the world, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

The Faculty of Law (https://www.rug.nl/rechten/ ) is building on a longstanding tradition of four centuries. Its mission is to be an ambitious top-ranking faculty of law with both high-quality education and research, with a strong international orientation, firmly rooted in the North of The Netherlands.

The faculty creates and shares knowledge through outstanding education and research, benefitting society. With more than 4.900 students, the faculty is heavily involved in educating students, both Dutch and international. The faculty is a modern, broad and international institution, educating students to become forward-looking, articulate and independent lawyers.

Conditions of employment

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

● a salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, with a minimum of € 3,557 (salary scale 10, step 4) up to a maximum of € 5,439 (salary scale 11 max) gross per month for a full-time position
● a position of 0.9-1.0 FTE (90-100%)
● a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income and an 8.3% year-end bonus
● a minimum of 29 holidays and additional 12 holidays in case of full-time employment
● participation in a pension scheme for employees
● a temporary position of one year (12 months) with the option of renewal for another year (12 months). Prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year.
The faculty offers the opportunity to attend international conferences and to participate in workshops and seminars. The research project also has its own funds for travel and accommodation.

The starting date of the position is 1 November 2022, or as soon as possible before or after that date.

Application

If you are interested and you meet our qualification criteria, please include within your application:

• a cover letter
• curriculum vitae
• a scanned version of your PhD degree
• a list of grades from your master’s degree (and list of publications if applicable) and the names and contact details of three referees, who may be contacted.

You may apply for this position until 13 September 11:59pm / 14 September 2022 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview, which will take place in September 2022. It will also be possible to interview remotely.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/(...)rsity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/sollicitatiecode/ and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

Information

For information you can contact:

• Prof. Michel Vols, [email protected]

Please do not use the e-mail address(es) above for applications.

Apply