The Institute of Social Studies in The Hague (part of Erasmus University Rotterdam) invites applications for a post-doctoral position in the political economy of externally financing social policy in developing countries. The position will be integrated into the research programme Political Economy of Resources, Environment and Population (PER; see here), as part of the research project entitled ‘Aiding Social Protection: the political economy of externally financing social policy in developing countries (AIDSOCPRO).’ The AIDSOCPRO research project is funded by the European Research Council under the Starting Grant scheme, which was awarded to Dr Andrew Fischer, the principal investigator, in 2014 for a period of five years (starting in May 2015). Teaching responsibilities of the post-doc will be integrated into the Social Policy for Development MA major (SPD; see here).

The ERC-funded AIDSOCPRO research project explores the political economy of international development assistance (aid for short) directed towards social expenditures, examined through an unexplored interaction between finance and politics in current international aid agendas that prioritise social protection in particular. The research will focus on six developing countries selected as ‘crucial cases,’ including two in Asia (Cambodia and Philippines), two in Africa (Ethiopia and Zambia), and two in Latin America (Honduras and Paraguay). The project addresses the question: given the complexities of externally financing domestic expenditures, how have current donor emphases of social protection influenced donor strategies of influence, donor-recipient relations, and domestic fiscal and monetary politics within recipient countries?

For more information on the organization, a full description of the position, the requirements of the candidates and how to apply, please go to our website.

Appointment and salary
The position is available starting 1 September 2015, on a fixed-term contract for a maximum of three years. The salary is dependent on the candidate’s experience and ranges from €2717 to €3908 gross per month (CAO NU scale 10) under full-time contract. In addition, ISS pays an 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year payment of 8.3%, as well as limited funding for research activities (e.g. conference participation, etc.). The position is full-time and will be based at ISS in The Hague.

Applications and more information
An application letter, accompanied by a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, and the names of three referees, should be combined into one pdf file and sent together with two sample papers to postdoc.erc2015@iss.nl, including the subject: Post Doc ERC – ‘your name’, by 29 April 2015. Interviews will take place in The Hague in the week of 18 May 2015.

Further information can be obtained from Dr Andrew Fischer (fischer@iss.nl).