The Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals invites applications for two 4-year contract, full time pre-doc positions, as part of the ERC (European Research Council) funded project "ETHNICGOODS: States, Nationalism, and the Relationship Between Ethnic Diversity and Public Goods Provision", led and coordinated by Dr. Matthias vom Hau. The successful applicants will become a core member of the ETHNICGOODS team (which will include the Principal Investigator, another established researcher, 2-3 PhD students, and 3-4 postdoctoral researchers). The PhD projects will contribute to ETHNICGOODS' conceptual development and empirical research. 

 

Doctoral research will include the quantitative, cross-national analysis of the long-run impact of historical patterns of state development and nation-building on contemporary ethnic diversity and public goods provision. Doctoral research will also involve a qualitative analysis of these issues through in-depth historical case studies of select pairs of countries in different world regions. The selected candidates will conduct field work in their region of specialization. They will also participate in the development of new global datasets on state capacity and nation-building. 

 

Applicants must possess a recent Masters' degree in sociology, political science, international studies, development  studies, or any related field. For one of the positions advanced quantitative skills are essential, for the other knowledge of qualitative research methods and experience in field research and/or archival work. Other desired qualifications include willingness to commit to a 4-5 year project based in Barcelona (although field work in the EU and/or other world regions will be required), excellent English skills (both oral and written fluency), and proficiency in Spanish. 

 

If they are not part of a PhD program already, then successful applicants will be requested to apply for the PhD Programme in Political and Social Sciences at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), under the supervision of Dr. Matthias vom Hau.

 

Remuneration is commensurate with a PhD grant under the Spanish government fellowship system. The start date should be no later than 1st October 2020.