Call for applications: PhD scholarships in Public Administration and Public Policy at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen

Deadline for Applications: May 1, 2022

The Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen invites applications for a number of Ph.D. scholarships in Public Administration and Public Policy. The Department welcomes qualified applications in all aspects of public policy, public administration and organization. At the present time, however, there is a particular interest in enhancing research in the following thematic areas:

• Diversity and discrimination

Increasing ethnic and religious diversity in mature welfare states raises important questions about both bias and discrimination in citizen-state interactions and diversity issues in the composition of street- and upper-level bureaucrats. The public sector is also faced with gender imbalances as the majority of public sector worker are female while the top leadership is dominated by men. This raises a set of questions and we welcome applications aimed at analyzing them: How can discrimination be countered in a public sector context and what are the barriers to better female and ethnic minority representation at all levels of the public sector? How does diversity influence recruitment, leadership and performance?

• Digitalization and machine learning.

Digitalizing administrative procedures holds a potential for increasing efficiency, but also raises critical issues such as how technology influence inequity and effectiveness as well as helping behavior and innovation. Furthermore, present developments, where administrative professionals and citizens gets detached in time and space is in stark contrast to the importance given to face-to face relations in organizational research. However, particular types of digital communication have the advantage of being very accessible, and availability is crucial for helping behavior – the help needs to be within reach. Thus, there is a strong need to develop knowledge on how helping behavior can be mediated with digital communication, and we welcome applications that may contribute to such knowledge.

• Behavioral Public Administration

Public policies are rarely self-executing. Across policy areas, the delivery and performance of the public services are a product of what the public employees think and do. Knowledge is needed on how psychological forces and mechanisms shape the attitudes and behaviors of citizens, public employees, and public managers. How do heuristics and cognitive biases affect discretion and decision-making in state-citizen interactions? What can we do to minimize the occurrence of illegitimate biases and disparity in public services provision? We welcome applications that draw on psychological theories and experimental methods to investigate these critical questions by relating to decision-making in administrative settings and to broader societal issues concerning effectiveness, efficiency, and social equity in public administration.

Beyond the above ideas we welcome PhD project aimed at other core questions and themes as broadly found in the field of Public Policy and Administration.

The PhD programme
The PhD programme provides PhD students with strong research training which opens up a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The programme includes the drafting of a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination. The PhD programme can be undertaken as a three year full-time study within the framework of the 5+3 study programme, or as a four year full-time study programme within the framework of the 4+4 study programme.   

Duties and Responsibilities
Further information about the PhD study programme is available on the website of Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences: 
https://samf.ku.dk/phd-skolen/english/
https://samf.ku.dk/phd-skolen/ 

Under “Legal basis” on the website you will find information about the rules and guidelines for the PhD programme and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD programme at the Universities. 

Information about the PhD study programme is also available on the PhD website of the Department of Political Science.
https://polsci.ku.dk/uddannelser/phd/

Applicants should familiarise themselves with the Department’s strategy and the ongoing research at the Department before submitting their application. Further information can be found here:  
https://politicalscience.ku.dk/

In order to be awarded a PhD scholarship the applicant has to enroll as a PhD student at the Faculty of Social Sciences, cf. the rules of the Danish Ministerial order No 1039 of 27 August 2013.  

Scholarship in the 5+3 or in the 4+4 PhD study programme  
The 5+3 PhD study programme 
In order to be eligible for a scholarship in the 5+3 PhD study programme the applicant must have completed a two year MSc degree programme, or have earned 120 ECTS credits at an equivalent academic level before starting his or her employment. Applicants should check the study programmes for more detailed descriptions of the entry requirements. PhD students are paid a salary in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The PhD student has a work obligation of up to 840 hours over the three year period of time without additional pay. The work obligation involves teaching and supervision.  

The 4+4 PhD study programme 
Students who have completed a BSc plus 60 ECTS of an MSc degree programme would enrol as PhD students simultaneously with their enrolment in the MSc degree programme. Applicants should check the study programmes for more detailed descriptions of the entry requirements. Until an MSc degree is obtained, the grant is paid partly in the form of up to 48 state education grant portions (in Danish: SU-klip). More specifically the PhD student will be paid two grant portions per month plus salary for work (teaching, presentations etc.) which totals a workload of at least 280 hours. Payment and conditions of employment are carried out in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). Upon completion of the MSc degree the student is transferred to the salary-earning part of the PhD studies. 

The Phd fellow is expected to seek funding for fieldwork as this is not included in the scholarship.  

How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.

• Cover Letter (detailing your motivation and background for applying for the specific PhD project )
• Project description (recommended no more than 12,000 keystrokes not including bibliography) 
• CV   
• Diploma and transcripts of records (BSc and MSc)   
• Other information for consideration, e.g. list of publications, documentation of English language qualifications (if any)  

Please note that it is only possible to upload one document per attachment category. If more than one document has to be uploaded in the same category, please make sure that they are scanned and collected into one file.  

Application process  
On the website of Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences you will find information about the application process, and enclosures to include with your electronic application: 
https://samf.ku.dk/phd-skolen/english/applicants/application/current_advertisement/
https://samf.ku.dk/phd-skolen/til_ansogere/ansoegning/aktuelle_opslag/

The recruitment process

Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The following criteria are used when shortlisting candidates for assessment: 

1. Research qualifications as reflected in the project proposal. 

2. Quality and feasibility of the project.  

3. Qualifications and knowledge in relevant disciplines. 

4. Performance (grades obtained) in graduate and post-graduate studies. 

5. Department of Political Science can offer adequate supervision for the research topic in question. 

Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself. You can read about the recruitment process here. 

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: https://ism.ku.dk/

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-1053/22-2H #1

Additional information about the position can be obtained from Deputy Head of Department, Professor Asmus Leth Olsen, e-mail: ajlo@ifs.ku.dk, phone +4535323401

The position starting date is on September 1, 2022

The closing date for applications is 23:59 CEST May 1, 2022.

Applications received after the deadline will not be taken into account. 

Source / Additional Information: Official Website.