ESR8: The role of policy paradigms for the governance of core-periphery relations in Germany and Romania (Leipzig, Germany)

Tweet

Host: Leibniz-Institute for Regional Geography (IfL), Leipzig/Germany

1 PhD position, full-time

Duration: September 2014 – August 2017

The governance of core-periphery relations as well as the applied forms of policy intervention in the EU differ very much due to distinct normative development models and regional policy paradigms. The project aims at exploring these distinct institutional environments, their origins and their relevance for regional policy making in Romania and Germany. The project will follow a multi-level framework to analyse spatial policies based on institutional and discourse analysis.

The fellow will be integrated in the class “East-Central Europe in Transnational Perspective” at the Graduate Centre Social Sciences and Humanities of the University of Leipzig.

Secondments are foreseen at the Babeş-Bolyai-University in Cluj-Napoca/Romania, at the North-West Regional Development Agency in Cluj-Napoca/Romania and at Social Impact in Potsdam/Berlin.

Tasks:

–          analysis of regional policy backgrounds in the EU, Germany and Romania

–          investigation of institutional environments by using qualitative methods (e.g. expert interviews, focus group             interviews; review of policy documents on EU, national and regional levels)

–          Comparative study of metropolitan, urban and regional policies in selected case study areas in Germany                and Romania

Requirements:

–          Masters’ degree in political sciences, geography or another discipline corresponding to the topic of the                    project

–          good knowledge of qualitative methods

–          fluent in English, preferably good knowledge of German

–          Romanian language skills will be an asset

–          good knowledge of IT-based communication tools

–          readiness to participate in secondments, conferences and workshops

–          excellent communication skills, capacity for teamwork, flexibility and an interest in interdisciplinary                            comparative research

The fellow should contribute to the outreach of the project, especially by:

–          elaboration of a PhD thesis

–          participation in project and WP monographs, joint publications in high ranked journals

–          active participation at scientific conferences, policy workshops etc. at national and EU level

–          participation in media communication, in development of a web-based glossary, in creation of video clips                and podcasts and in spreading project information on EU level using European Commissions’                                      communication tools