PRR Project

Summary

Rationale for the ICS-ULisboa Strategic Planning: Recent economic and health crises have challenged the functioning of democracies, and created momentum for further research on the ability of political institutions to generate public legitimacy/trust via their outcomes and their procedures. If institutions such as parties, and parliaments fail to connect to citizens this can have important implications for the quality of representation and ultimately democracy. Research on these topics, to be carried out within interdisciplinary RGs ( SPARC and RIGoP ), can advance the future agenda of the Thematic Lines Citizenship and Inclusion by closely monitoring the symptoms of democratic discontent at the citizen-level and by testing the relevance and utility of democratic innovation tools to promote inclusion and diversity. Pluralistic methodological expertise, should drive research on key emerging topics, namely: how do economic perceptions shape attitudes towards democracy, what are the consequences of economic/EU integration for democratic legitimacy, which innovative tools can be used to improve the relationship between representatives and the constituents, how can digital tools be employed to expand citizens’ political participation, and how can parliaments become more responsive. The recruited Researcher will be a key contributor to the ICS-ULisboa strategic plan, namely by developing new research streams, innovative training/teaching methods and outreach activities, and by helping raise the international profile of ICS-ULisboa in this area. ICS-ULisboa has already established itself in these domains in different areas, through the funding and implementation of projects on EU politicization and voting behavior, the relationship between economic choice perceptions and democratic support, and the connections between parties and constituencies. These topics have been researched comparatively in relation to the quality of democracy in Europe, as well as Latin America and Africa. Required Scientific Profile : In addition to a demonstrated interest in the topic, the PhD Researcher to be recruited should have: a) a PhD in Political Science; b)  a relevant CV in the fields of political behaviour and its impact on the quality of democracy with particular emphasis on internationalization (e.g. international collaborations, a repertoire of publications in top quality journals and or book publications, participation in research networks, experience in project-based research and outreach activities); c) solid methodological training, in both quantitative and qualitative methods; d) proven experience in initiating innovative, cutting-edge, research strands and topics; e)  proven experience in coordinating and teaching post-graduate courses; f) a track record in highly competitive funding, both at an international and national levels; g) experience in coordinating teams, and research units; and g) preferable experience in the outline and co-development of recommendations to decision-makers in both private and public sectors. Tasks to be assigned : The Assistant Research to be recruited will carry out activities in the field of Comparative Politics, with a particular focus on political behaviour. These activities include a) submitting projects to highly competitive calls; b) coordinating projects and research teams; c) organizing training activities on the themes and methods related to politics, communication and the media; d) supervising master’s and PhD students; e) developing outreach activities and f) contributing to academic management at the ICS-ULisboa.The Assistant Researcher is expected to contribute mainly to the TLs Citizenship and Inclusion , and the RGs SPARC and RIGoP ; which cluster projects focusing on a wide set of themes – electoral behavior, attitudes towards democracy, corruption, inter-group relations, social inclusion and discrimination (funding: ERC, Horizon 2020, and FCT etc.); the PASSDA infrastructure that collects, analyses and archives data on political attitudes and social behavior; PhD programs (e.g. Doctorate in Comparative Politics and MA in Social Sciences), and several training (advanced courses on methods) and outreach activities.