1 PhD Position in Political Science (M/F/X)

Responsabilities

Working environment Scientific Impulse Mandate (FNRS)

University of Namur (UNamur)

The Transitions Institute and the Department of Social, Political, and Communication Sciences are pleased to announce the opening of a PhD researcher position in Political Science as part of the SOCIALDEM_PHOENIX project, funded by a Scientific Impulse Mandate (MIS) from FNRS and coordinated by Arthur Borriello (Professor at UNamur).

Summary of the SOCIALDEM_PHOENIX Project:

European parties and party systems have been profoundly affected by the Eurozone crisis, particularly in Southern Europe, marked by the rise of populist and/or radical left actors (LFI, M5S, Podemos, PTB, Syriza). The success of these actors was based on the promise of renewing political practices and overcoming historical divides, amidst criticisms directed at governing parties, particularly center-left parties. This project aims to understand why and how social-democratic parties have adapted their ideology, organization, and repertoires of action to respond to the socio-political transformations induced by the crisis. It seeks to identify and explain the strategic choices these actors made by relating them to a combination of factors linked to the economic context, institutional system, political field structure, party characteristics, environment, and the socialization trajectories of party elites.

To achieve this, the project compares four countries (Belgium, Spain, France, Italy) where center-left parties have faced major environmental transformations over the past decade but offer a wide variety of explanatory factors. The research will combine discourse analysis, organizational studies, repertoires of action analysis, and interviews with party leaders to contextualize the strategic choices observed. Finally, these elements will be analyzed dynamically to capture the successive interactions between actors according to the rapidly evolving context. The research will provide a better understanding of the recent evolution of the social-democratic family and, more broadly, the effects of party system reconfiguration.

Specific Tasks: Within the SOCIALDEM_PHOENIX project, the PhD candidate will specifically be responsible for studying the Belgian case and comparing Vooruit and the Socialist Party. They will conduct their PhD research on the transformations of socialism in Belgium over the past two decades, placing these changes in the broader context of the evolution of parties and party systems in Europe. From this general orientation, the PhD candidate will develop a research program according to their primary interests and competencies, choosing to focus on ideological, communicational, organizational, and/or strategic issues.

Profile

Profile: The candidate must hold a Master's degree in Political Science, Political Communication, or Social Sciences. The candidate must demonstrate interest in the study of political parties and competence in at least one of the following dimensions: discourse analysis, organizational studies, or repertoire of action analysis. The candidate must have a strong command of French and/or Dutch. If they do not have sufficient proficiency in both languages, the candidate must commit to intensive language training to work in both languages. Good command of English is an additional asset.

Additional information

Research Environment and Working Conditions: The selected candidate will be awarded a four-year grant and the opportunity to conduct their doctoral research under the supervision of an experienced and dynamic research team. The institute and department offer a stimulating, dynamic, and international work environment. The selected candidate may also assume limited teaching responsibilities if desired.

The PhD candidate will be employed full-time for 48 months starting on October 1, 2025, by the University of Namur, funded by the FNRS through a grant. They will be affiliated with the University of Namur and the Transitions Research Institute. Remuneration will be calculated based on the salary and grant scales established by the University of Namur.

Selection Process: The deadline to submit applications is May 1, 2025.

For any questions regarding the research project and the position, please contact the project coordinator at the following address: arthur.borriello@unamur.be.

Candidates must submit their application (in French or English) by email to the same address in a single PDF document including:

• A motivation letter
• A short research project (2 pages) detailing the orientations the candidate wishes to give to their doctoral research (working hypotheses, methods, data, etc.), while remaining within the general framework of the collective project.
• A detailed CV
• A summary of the Master's thesis
• The names and contact details of three referees