Post-Doctoral and Senior Research Fellowships

The OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development by CEU Democracy Institute (Budapest), Universidad de los Andes, (Bogotá), the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town and the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka (Colombo) invites applications for a total of 32 open positions: six post-doctoral and two senior research fellows at each of the four institutions for an 8-month residential fellowship program between October 1, 2024, and May 30, 2025.

Focusing on the relationship between democracy and development, this initiative aims to redefine democracy in its political, social, and economic dimensions, establishing a unique platform for interdisciplinary and cross-regional exchanges between scholars from the Global South and Global North.

The OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development is structured around four interlinked research themes hosted at four institutions:

Theme 1: New Patterns of Mobilization for- and against- Democracy, hosted at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá

Theme 2: Populism, Ideology, and Discourse in the Global South: Sources of Polarization and Their Mitigation, hosted at CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest

Theme 3: Democratizing the Developmental State, hosted at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance in Cape Town

Theme 4: Exclusionary Regimes and Autocratization, hosted at the Social Scientists’ Association in Colombo

Please see the details of the fellowships in each hub below.

Application deadline in each hub: Open until filled

Starting date of the selection of fellows: February 15, 2024

Starting date of the fellowship: October 1, 2024 

Colombia (Bogotá): New Patterns of Mobilization for- and against- Democracy

The OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development  by CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest, Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town and the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka invites applications for six post-doctoral and two senior research fellows for an 8-month residential fellowship program between October 2024 and May 2025 in Bogota, Colombia.

This is one of four thematic calls for applications launched simultaneously in the framework of the OSUN Democracy and Development project. For more information on the project and the three associated research axes on “Democratizing the Developmental State”, “Populism, Ideology, and Discourse in the Global South” and “Exclusionary Regimes and Autocratization”, please visit osunforum.ceu.edu

The successful candidates are expected to carry out independent research on new patterns of mobilization for - and against - democracy. We particularly welcome research projects that cover one or more of the following aspects:

• Cross-national empirical research on contemporary waves of pro- or anti-democracy mobilizations under various regime types
• In-depth studies on the links between political economy and pro-/anti-democracy mobilizations
• Case study contributions that unravel new patterns and dynamics of pro-/anti-democracy mobilization -
• Critical approaches to understanding the links between contemporary revolutionary waves and democratization.
• Macro and meso studies of patterns of mobilization in a historical perspective.
• The relationship between neoliberalism and the struggles for or against democracy.
• The prefiguration by social movements of alternatives to delegative democracy.
• The theorization and practice by social movements of direct democracy or autocratic forms of politics.

In addition, fellows will be also expected to contribute to a broader conversation and research agenda to advance our understanding of pro-/anti-democracy mobilization in the 21st century; and to produce new knowledge in the field of social movements and contentious politics. Preference will be given to interdisciplinary and cross-regional comparative research proposals; but we also welcome theoretically and empirically rich case-studies, especially if they are thematically also linked to one or more of the other three research axes under the purview of the OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development. Empirically-based proposals from all social sciences and humanities are welcome. 

Qualifications

We seek applicants with a record (or strong promise) of relevant and internationally recognized publications in the research area, familiarity with current political affairs, and a keen interest in networking and institution building. Candidates must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English. They must have a PhD in hand at the deadline of application or present compelling evidence that a defense will be successfully completed before the start date. We especially welcome scholars with a connection to the Global South. 

What we offer

We offer a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience as well as a dynamic and international academic environment.

Successful candidates will reside at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá and they will participate in a multi-sited fellowship program on Democracy and Development running simultaneously in Budapest, Bogota, Cape Town, and Colombo where interdisciplinary research on 4 interlinked research themes will nurture path-breaking ideas to rethink democracy in its political, social and economic dimensions. Fellows will benefit from:

• The academic convenorship of experts on pro-/anti-democracy mobilization
• Participation in joint summer schools and frequent online collaboration with all Fellows across the 4 research hubs
• A unique Methods Clinic, which will provide individualized methodological tutoring tailored to each candidate’s research project 

Mobility

Fellows will be hosted at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá where they will be expected to reside for the duration of the program (October 2024 to May 2025). Requests for short leaves to attend conferences or to carry out fieldwork need to be pre-notified in the application proposal. 

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants need to submit:

• Cover letter
• Academic CV
• Research proposal on a topic related to the fellowship theme on new patterns of mobilization for and against democracy. The proposal should include: title, abstract, and project outline (1000 words maximum, without bibliography)
• Sample of scholarly work (best recent article, book chapter, or job market paper)
• Two referees: names and contact details of two scholars who could supply recommendation letters in case the candidate is shortlisted for the job. The referees will be contacted by CEU DI.

Please submit your complete application package as one single pdf file with your last name and “mobilize” as the title of the file (for example, smith_mobilize.pdf). Send your application email with “OFP Mobilize Application” as the subject to osunforum@ceu.edu .

Informal inquiries can be addressed to: Rima Majed and Federico  Rossi .

Selection Process

Applications: Open until filled.

Starting date of selection: February 15,2024

Hungary (Budapest): Populism, Ideology, and Discourse in the Global South: Sources of Polarization and Their Mitigation

The OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development  by CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest, Universidad de los Andes, the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town and the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka invites applications for six post-doctoral and two senior research fellows for an 8-month residential fellowship program between October 2024 and May 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

This is one of four thematic calls for applications launched simultaneously in the framework of the OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development  . For more information on the project and the three associated research axes on “Democratizing the Developmental State”, “New Patterns of Mobilization for -and against- Democracy” and “Exclusionary Regimes and Autocratization”, please visit osunforum.ceu.edu.

The successful candidates are expected to carry out independent research on populism, ideology, or political discourse as sources of polarization. We particularly welcome systematic research on the following aspects:

• The empirical study of populism and other discourses/thin ideologies such as nationalism, patriotism, and pluralism. 
• The contributions of understudied Global South cases to understanding the causes and consequences of populism
• Affective and pernicious polarization in the Global South

In addition, Fellows will be also expected to contribute to a broader conversation regarding the policy implications of their topic of research, and strategies for mitigating negative societal impacts. Preference will be given to interdisciplinary and cross-regional comparative research proposals especially if they are thematically also linked to one or more of the other three research axes under the purview of the OSUN Democracy and Development project.

Qualifications

We seek applicants with a record (or strong promise) of relevant and internationally recognized publications in the research area, familiarity with current political affairs, and a keen interest in networking and institution building. Candidates must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English. They must have a PhD in hand at the deadline of application or present compelling evidence that a defense will be successfully completed before the start date. We especially welcome scholars with a personal connection to the Global South. 

What we offer

We offer a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience as well as a dynamic and international academic environment.

Successful candidates will reside at the CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest and they will participate in an unparalleled multi-sited fellowship program on Democracy and Development running simultaneously in Budapest, Bogota, Cape Town, and Colombo where interdisciplinary research on 4 interlinked research themes will nurture path-breaking ideas to rethink democracy in its political, social and economic dimensions. Fellows will benefit from:

• The academic convenorship of experts on populism and polarization
• Participation in joint summer schools and frequent online collaboration with all Fellows across the 4 research hubs
• A unique Methods Clinic, which will provide individualized methodological tutoring tailored to each candidate’s research project

Mobility

Fellows will be hosted at CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest where they will be expected to reside for the duration of the program. Requests for short leaves to attend conferences or to carry out fieldwork need to be pre-notified in the application proposal.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants need to submit:

• Cover letter
• Academic CV
• Envisioned individual research project on populism or political polarization: title, abstract, and project outline (1000 words maximum, without bibliography)
• Example of scholarly work (best recent article, book chapter, or job market paper)
• Names and contact details of two scholars who could supply recommendation letters in case the candidate is shortlisted for the job. The referees will be contacted by CEU DI.

Please send your complete application package as one single pdf file with your last name and “populism” as the title of the file (for example, smith_populism.pdf). Send your application email with “OFP Populism Application” as the subject to: osunforum@ceu.edu

Informal inquiries can be addressed to: Kirk Hawkins and Levente Littvay

Selection Process

Applications: Open until filled.

Starting date of selection: February 15,2024

South Africa (Cape Town): Democratizing the Developmental State

The OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development  by CEU Democracy Institute (Budapest), Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá ),  the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town and the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka (Colombo) – invites applications for six post-doctoral and two senior research fellows for an 8-month residential fellowship program on the theme of “Democratizing the Developmental State”  between October 1. 2024 and May 30. 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.

This is one of four thematic calls for applications launched simultaneously in the framework of the OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development. For more information on the three associated research axes on “Populism, Ideology, and Discourse in the Global South: Sources of Polarization and Their Mitigation”, “New Patterns of Mobilization for -and against- Democracy” and “Exclusionary Regimes and Autocratization”, please visit osunforum.ceu.edu

The successful candidates are expected to carry out independent research on the theme of democratizing the developmental state. Fellows will also be expected to contribute to a broader conversation regarding the policy implications of their topic of research, and strategies for mitigating negative societal impacts. Preference will be given to interdisciplinary and cross-regional comparative research proposals especially if they are thematically linked to one or more of the other three research axes under the purview of the OSUN Democracy and Development project.

This initiative understands a ‘developmental state’ as one where political elites intervene in economic activities with the overarching goal of improving the international market competitiveness of their domestic production. There is no necessary connection between authoritarianism and the developmental state. Key characteristics are a developmental mindset among policymakers, the emergence of governed interdependence between local firms and political elites, and creation of the state capacity required to implement industrial policies in collaboration with firms. Major issues confronting both scholars and practitioners include identifying the conditions under which developmental states emerge, inquiring into how to catalyze those conditions within democratic polities, and examining developmental states’ transitions and trajectories from authoritarianism to democracy.

We particularly welcome systematic research on the following aspects:

• Historical trajectories of economic nationalism in certain polities
• The factors shaping the political survival and electoral strategies of political elites
• The capabilities and business strategies of locally owned firms in internationally competitive industries
• The role of labor and popular classes more generally in the construction and operation of developmental states
• Diaspora professionals and entrepreneurs in transnational technical communities and the presence or absence of linkages to political and policy elites
• How industrial policies are financed, and how democratic politics shapes the sources of finance and how finance is used
• The opportunities provided by new green technologies and their falling prices for green development strategies
• How the challenge of sustaining developmental states in the 21st century differs from the past

Qualifications

Applicants must have a PhD in a social science discipline or an interdisciplinary social science doctoral degree. Both early career scholars and established scholars are eligible.

We seek applicants with research experience and internationally recognized publications that demonstrate existing knowledge in subject areas relevant to the thematic topic, as well as the applicant’s ability to carry out independent research and communicate the findings through academic publications.

Applicants should also have a keen interest in networking and institution building and demonstrate commitment to engaging in both scholarly and public debates. 

What we offer

We offer a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience as well as a dynamic and international academic environment.

Successful candidates will reside at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town and they will participate in an unparalleled multi-sited fellowship program on Democracy and Development running simultaneously in Budapest, Bogota, Cape Town, and Colombo where interdisciplinary research on 4 interlinked research themes will nurture path-breaking ideas to rethink democracy in its political, social and economic dimensions. Fellows will benefit from:

• The academic convenorship of experts with knowledge of the economics and politics of the developmental state historically and in comparative perspective
• Participation in joint summer schools and frequent online collaboration with all Fellows across the 4 research hubs
• A unique Methods Clinic, which will provide individualized methodological tutoring tailored to each candidate’s research project

Mobility

Fellows will be hosted at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at University of Cape Town in South Africa where they will be expected to reside for the duration of the program. Requests for short leaves to attend conferences or to carry out fieldwork need to be pre-notified in the application proposal. 

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants need to submit:

• Cover letter, which includes the motivation for applying for the fellowship
• Academic CV
• Envisioned individual research project
  • The research proposal should be 1500 to 1800 words and have a separate bibliography of maximum 2 pages A4 format.
  • The proposal should point to the puzzle or debate in the literature that motivates the research, elaboration of research project addressing issues of method, a work plan for the duration of the fellowship, and a description of expected outputs and outcomes.
  • The proposal should have a title and short abstract
• Maximum 2 samples of scholarly work (best recent article, book chapter, working paper)
• Names and contact details of two scholars who could supply recommendation letters in case the candidate is shortlisted for the job. The referees will be contacted by CEU DI.

Please submit your complete application package as one single pdf file with your last name and “devstate” as the title of the file (for example, smith_devstate.pdf). Send your application email with “OFP Devstate application” as the Subject to: osunforum@ceu.edu

Informal inquiries about the research theme can be addressed to Lindsay Whitfield at lwh.msc@cbs.dk

Selection Process

Applications: Open until filled.

Starting date of selection: February 15,2024

Sri Lanka (Colombo): Exclusionary Regimes and Autocratization

The OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development by  CEU Democracy Institute (Budapest), Universidad de los Andes (Bogota), the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town and the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka (Colombo)– invites applications for six post-doctoral and two senior research fellows for an 8-month residential fellowship program on the theme of “Exclusionary Regimes and Autocratization” between October 2024 and May 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This is one of four thematic calls for applications launched simultaneously in the framework of the OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development . For more information on the project and the three associated research axes on “Populism, Ideology, and Discourse in the Global South: Sources of Polarization and Their Mitigation”, “New Patterns of Mobilization for -and against- Democracy” and “Democratizing the Developmental State”, please visit osunforum.ceu.edu.

The successful candidates are expected to contribute to our scholarly understanding of the characteristics, dynamics, and impacts of exclusionary regimes around the world from different social scientific perspectives and methodologies.. In addition, Fellows will be also expected to contribute to a broader conversation regarding the policy implications of their topic of research, and strategies for mitigating negative societal impacts. Preference will be given to interdisciplinary and cross-regional comparative research proposals especially if they are thematically also linked to one or more of the other three research axes under the purview of the OSUN Democracy and Development project.

We particularly welcome systematic research on the following questions:

• The historical structural and agentic dynamics of the emergence of exclusionary regimes
• The impact of major global contemporary issues, such as migration, pandemics, or ecological crisis or wars, on exclusionary regimes and vice-versa.
• How exclusionary regimes maintain legitimacy through, for instance, social and public policies, sustaining patronage networks, and instrumentalizing ideological cleavages
• Conceptualization and understanding of resistance against majoritarian exclusionary regimes, and its consequences 

Qualifications

We seek applicants with a record (or strong promise) of relevant and internationally recognized publications in the research area and a keen interest in networking and institution building. Candidates must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English. They must have a PhD in social sciences in hand at the deadline of application or present compelling evidence that the defense will be successfully completed before the start date. Early career researchers are welcome to apply. The application is open to all methodological approaches. We seek a rigorous research design and a critical perspective. We especially welcome scholars with a personal connection to the Global South. 

What we offer

We offer a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience as well as a dynamic and international academic environment.

Successful candidates will reside at the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka (Colombo) and they will participate in an unparalleled multi-sited fellowship program on Democracy and Development running simultaneously in Budapest, Bogota, Cape Town, and Colombo where interdisciplinary research on 4 interlinked research themes will nurture path-breaking ideas to rethink democracy in its political, social and economic dimensions. Fellows will benefit from:

• The academic convenorship of experts on exclusionary regimes and autocratization
• Participation in joint summer schools and frequent collaboration with all Fellows across the 4 research hubs
• A unique Methods Clinic, which will provide individualized methodological tutoring tailored to each candidate’s research project 

Mobility

Fellows will be hosted at Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka in Colombo where they will be expected to reside for the duration of the program. Requests for short leaves to attend conferences or to carry out fieldwork need to be pre-notified in the application proposal. 

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants need to submit:

• Cover letter
• Academic CV
• Envisioned individual research project on exclusionary regimes and autocratization: title, abstract, and project outline (1000 words maximum, excluding bibliography)
• Example of scholarly work (best recent article, book chapter, or job market paper)
• Names and contact details of two scholars who could supply recommendation letters in case the candidate is shortlisted for the job. The referees will be contacted by CEU DI.

Please submit your complete application package as one single pdf file with your last name and “exclusion” as the title of the file (for example, smith_exclusion.pdf). Send your application email with “OFP Exclusion Application” as the Subject to: osunforum@ceu.edu

Informal inquiries can be addressed to: Erdem Yörük

Selection Process

Applications: Open until filled.

Starting date of selection: February 15,2024

Competitive compensation package