Governing values, governing through values, governed by values? The European Union as a risk polity

2 full-time doctoral positions (2015-2019)

This is a call for applications (2nd wave) for two full-time doctoral positions in a project on European politics and values based at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Brussels, Belgium). The researchers will join a team under the supervision of an interdisciplinary scientific committee (Ramona Coman, François Foret [spokesperson], François Heinderyckx). Prospective candidates are hereby invited to submit their application as described below. The deadline for submitting applications is 4 September 2015. Successful candidates are expected to start working in Brussels on 1 October 2015.

Outline of the project:'Governing values, governing through values, governed by values? The European Union as a risk polity'
Values at the core of European integration have been widely discussed in recent years due to several major evolutions in EU governance. The enlargements and the constitution-making process were structures of opportunities for claims to define common values susceptible to hold European countries and citizens together and to justify public action. Nevertheless, resistances showed that interpretations of these common values may differ.

References to values may have three incentives. Firstly, it may be a call to identity, memory and communicative resources in a quest for legitimization (governing through values). Secondly, it may come from the necessity to deal with ethical issues calling for normative policy choices (governing values). Thirdly, values may cause legal and political conflicts and challenge established balances of powers and regulation (governed by values). The EU has encountered the three scenarios. In each configuration, "European values" are invoked with different meanings and purposes. The hypothesis is that common patterns can still be found, turning the EU into a 'risk polity', a political system where values become a usual part of European politics either as an answer to or a factor creating uncertainties.
The project aims at a better understanding of the reasons and modalities of the emergence of "European values" on the EU agenda; of the way they create unity or division, circulate and frame different models of political community for Europe.

Work Packages

Three distinct Work Packages will take on three empirical case studies: morality politics/policies and European values; interactions between “rule of law” and regulation of/by values; debates on European values in the public sphere.

WP.A: European values in morality politics
Morality issues have multiplied on the European agenda. This category includes all policy questions related to the fundamental conception of human being, from conception, birth, sexuality, gender identity, legal and economic status of the human body, to death.  Sometimes also, the category is extended to include identity and memory issues reformulated in normative terms. Different narratives are competing to define what are the “European values” likely to frame ethical choices in all these fields. The purpose is to trace the production and trajectories of these narratives. It is also to assess whether this reference to "European values" in the political, policy and public spheres create patterns of union or dissensus, and what are the effects on the European polity.

WP.B: Interactions between “rule of law” and regulation of/by values
Over the last decades the EU has put the rule of law at the center of its internal and external policies. The aim is to examine when, how and why supranational institutions use the rule of law to legitimize the raison d’être of the EU and its internal and external policies, and how it interacts with values. Applications are especially encouraged on topics which unveil how the “EU governs the rule if law”, “through the rule of law” and “by the rule of law”. Sociological approaches dealing with the adaptation and resistances to international norms and policies as well as projects on the circulation of values are welcome.

WP.C: European Values and the Public Sphere
The European institutions are actively trying to promote, enhance and support a number of Europe-wide public spheres, or spheres that at least transcend national boundaries and, as such, defuse any build-up of nationalistic tension by identifying and enhancing shared values. An investigation into the external communication of European institutions will focus on explicit and implicit references to European values, with particular attention to policy areas with high levels of uncertainty and/or associated with divisive issues. Given the apparent failure to create any significant European public sphere, alternative scenarios will be explored, including one of increased interconnectedness among the resilient national public spheres as a way to enhance the experience of European values.

Workload
The workload related to the doctoral mandates is mainly the realization of a PhD thesis in four years according to Belgian rules. The candidates are expected to contribute to the collective research through fieldwork, organizational activities and publications, to acquire progressively the competencies linked to a high-level scientific position and to be autonomous and team players.

Working environment and conditions
This multidisciplinary project will take place within three research teams: the Centre d'étude de la vie politique (CEVIPOL) the largest political science research unit of the ULB; the Institute for European Studies (IEE), one of the oldest Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence in Europe; the Research Centre in Information and Communication (ReSIC), a large gathering of competencies in media sociology, journalism studies, textual analysis and other fields.
It will rely on a supportive interdisciplinary environment made of political scientists (R. Coman, F. Foret) and media and communication scholars (F. Heinderyckx) but also internationalists, lawyers and historians working on European integration and interactions between politics, culture and religion, etc.
The PhD candidates and will join a dynamic international network of collaboration with other universities in Europe, US and Asia. Travels and short research stays may be included in the activities.
The hired persons will have an office and relevant administrative support at ULB. Living in Brussels for the period of the mission is required. The working contract will be managed by the university according to Belgian standards.
 
Profiles
Candidates for doctoral positions should demonstrate their ability to evolve in a multi-cultural environment; their expertise and/or interest for European politics; their proficiency to work in French and English. Each candidate should explain clearly his/her interest for the project and how and why he/she can contribute to the development of the collective reflection. Experience and achievements in academic research and education in areas relevant to the project will be taken into consideration at the time of selection.

Doctoral mandates
•       Master in political science, sociology, communication studies or a directly related field
•       Excellent grades and other signs of academic distinctions
•       Proved expertise or at least interest in European studies
•       First achievements in research (master thesis) on a topic related to the project
•       Experience with working in an international environment
•       Very good command of English and preferably French
•       Ability to work in a team, to meet deadlines and to combine autonomy with respect of guidelines

Legal conditions and status of the doctoral positions:
•       The applicant should not already have a contractual link with the ULB
•       The applicant should not have already held a position as assistant for more than one year in any university
•       According to the experience of the candidate, the monthly net income will start from 1800 euros.

How to apply
The successful candidates will be selected on the basis of the quality of their CV, their research achievements, motivation and congruence with the project.

The following application documents are to be consolidated into one single PDF file sent by email to Ana Noppen (Αυτή η διεύθυνση ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.):
•       A one-page motivation letter explaining the candidate’s general interest for the project
•       A short project (5,000 characters, spaces included) explaining the possible scientific contribution of the candidate to the collective research, on which working package, with some bibliographical references
•       A curriculum vitae listing all academic qualifications, relevant research experience and previous publications (if any)
•       Name, affiliation, e-mail and phone number of three referees who can be contacted if necessary
•       A copy of the passport/ID, PhD and/or master diploma

Applications are open until 4 September 2015.
A telephone or face-to-face interview may be organized.
The hiring and the required presence in Brussels will be effective on 1 September 2015