1 doctoraatspositie in kiesgedrag

The Voting & Democracy Research Group studies electoral democracy and seeks to better understand the functioning of and challenges to electoral democracies. To do so, we conduct research on public opinion, voting behaviour, political participation, political parties and democratic institutions.
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Responsibilities

The PhD researcher will be conducting doctoral research within the framework of the FWO-funded project “Parties' Social Group Ownership”. This research project aims to understand how links between social groups and parties form, a question of growing relevance given that the alignments shaping vote choices in advanced democracies are in flux. Drawing inspiration from the literature on parties' issue ownership, the project examines parties' social group ownership. The project will establish how widespread perceptions of social group ownership are in Western Europe, identify their sources, and assess how they influence voting behavior.

To realize these objectives, the project will develop dedicated survey measures and experimental manipulations that will be embedded in online surveys fielded across twelve West European democracies.

Profile

- You hold (or are close to obtaining) a master’s degree in political science or a related field (e.g. communication science or sociology).
- You are passionate about research and have a strong interest in elections, voting behavior and political parties.
- You have at least a basic training in quantitative research methods and are willing to further strengthen your methods skills.
- You have an excellent knowledge of English and have strong communication skills, both oral and written.
- You are team player and motivated to work in an international research group.

Offer

- A full-time PhD position in a fellowship status for four years (based on a positive evaluation after 1 year). 
- Opportunities for additional training, education and career guidance.
- An inspiring and stimulating research context with a collegial atmosphere.
- Competitive salary in line with KU Leuven salary scales for PhD students. For more information on salary and benefits for PhD students at KU Leuven: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en/phd/phd-information#working-conditions 

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Ruth Dassonneville, mail: [email protected].

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