PhD Candidate: Stuck Between Unity and Diversity? Differentiated Implementation of EU Nature Policy (0.8 - 1.0 FTE)

• Employment: 0.8 - 1.0 FTE
• Gross monthly salary: € 2,443 - € 3,122
• Nijmegen School of Management
• Required background: Research University Degree
• Application deadline: 22 May 2022

Are you an aspiring researcher looking for a new opportunity in the field of sustainability and EU politics? Would you like to join a friendly and open environment where you can develop your skills and learn new things? Then you have a part to play as a PhD candidate. You will investigate how local and regional levels of government deal with demands and opportunities for tailored implementation of EU environmental policies.

The uniform implementation of European Union (EU) policies leads to increasing problems regarding both effectiveness and efficiency. In this project you will investigate how local and regional levels of government deal with demands and opportunities for tailored implementation of EU environmental policy. The project focuses on the implementation of EU nature policy in Denmark and the Netherlands.

EU environmental policies increasingly clash with physical conditions and policy preferences at the local and regional levels. This has led to a plea for more room for sub-nationally differentiated implementation. So far, sub-national variation in the implementation of EU policies has been seen primarily as a problem. This project considers spatially differentiated implementation within Member States as a potential solution to EU implementation problems.

In this project, you will develop a new analytical model considering the balance between the increasing demand for spatially differentiated implementation and the opportunities and barriers involved in actually developing differentiated policy solutions. You will apply this model to the sub-national implementation of the EU Natura 2000 programme in the Netherlands and Denmark. In doing so, you will apply a variety of research methods, including document analysis and expert interviews. Your work will provide practical guidance to sub-national authorities on differentiation strategies concerning EU nature policy.   

Your task is to further develop the research project, to set up and perform data collection, comprising extensive fieldwork in the Netherlands and Denmark, to conduct sound analyses, to write academic articles and to complete your PhD thesis before the assigned deadline. You will also participate in conferences, organise and facilitate academic and non-academic workshops and seminars, and contribute to teaching at the Nijmegen School of Management. You will spend roughly 120 hours per year on teaching duties over the course of three years. For more details, please refer to the project outline .

Profile

• You hold a Master's degree in Political Science, Public Administration, Environmental Studies or a related field, preferably with a focus on and basic understanding of European Union (EU) politics.
• You have excellent knowledge of advanced qualitative research methods and are eager to further develop this knowledge.
• You are a candidate with academic excellence, as demonstrated by grade transcripts and CV.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken Dutch and English. A basic command of written Danish will be an asset, but is not required.
• You are willing and have the capacity to conduct extensive fieldwork in the Netherlands and Denmark.
• You are able to work independently, as well as in close cooperation with the daily supervisor and other members of the research project or research group.
• You are a good project manager, flexible and proactive, and you have excellent academic writing skills.
• You have professional and scientific integrity and excellent social skills as required for fieldwork and interviews. 

We are

The Nijmegen School of Management is an academic centre of research and higher learning. It has seven focus areas: Business Administration, Public Administration, Political Science, Economics, Social and Political Sciences of the Environment, Human Geography, and Spatial Planning. NSM strives for a multidisciplinary approach whenever possible. Altogether, NSM employs 350 FTEs, 75% of whom are academics.

Both Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes are offered in the seven focus areas, which are organised in NSM's educational institute. The educational programme is characterised by small-scale teaching and provides a stimulating learning environment with an emphasis on the development of academic skills. NSM currently has approximately 5,000 students. NSM's research activities fall under the responsibility of the interdisciplinary Institute for Management Research (IMR). Under the motto 'Responsible Governance for Sustainable Societies', our researchers carry out state-of-the-art research into complex problems of governance and management, in order to explain the causes of these problems, and to use that knowledge to create potential solutions. They combine knowledge and expertise from multiple disciplines with collaboration with relevant societal actors.

You will be embedded within the department of Geography, Planning and Environment (GPE) and closely linked to the department of Public Administration . The two departments are leading centres of EU and environmental policy analysis, with a strong profile in teaching and developing advanced research methods. Research activities fall under the responsibility of the interdisciplinary Institute for Management Research (IMR). Under the motto 'Creating knowledge for society', IMR focuses on academic research into the development, design and effectiveness of the public and private structures that regulate, govern or manage human interactions. Finally, you will be embedded in the multidisciplinary research group EUROPAL , which unites researchers working on matters of European Union Policy, Administration and Law, at both the Institute for Management Research and the Faculty of Law.

Radboud University
We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer

• Employment for 0.8 (5 year contract) - 1.0 FTE (4 year contract).
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,443 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,122 from the fourth year onwards (salary scale P ).
• Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, by which 30% of their salary is tax free.
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract) or 3.5 years (5 year contract).
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services . Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment  and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 29 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions . You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.
Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Duncan Liefferink, Assistant Professor at [email protected] . Alternatively, you can contact Ellen Mastenbroek, Professor at [email protected] .

Practical information and applications
You can apply until 22 May 2022, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Duncan Liefferink. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV including the names and contact details of at least two referees.
• A transcript of grades.
• A sample of your academic writing skills, e.g. an MA thesis. 

The first round of interviews will take place on Friday 17 June. The second round of interviews will take place on Tuesday 28 June. You would preferably begin employment on 1 September 2022.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure . It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.

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