Postdoc Position: Sustainable SME Representation

1. Introduction

Are you interested in social science, sustainability, and business interest representation? As a postdoctoral researcher, you will analyze SME representation in sustainability policies, publish in international journals, and contribute to policy discussions.

2. Job description

The project investigates the interests and representation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly with regard to sustainability policies. While business interests are often portrayed as homogeneous, there are growing concerns that SME interests clash with those of large, multinational enterprises that arguably dominate politics and organised interest. This poses risks not only to the feasibility of sustainability policies but also to the economic viability of SMEs and the livelihood of the people they employ. Systematic evidence on the extent of – and reasons for – this problem is, however, severely lacking. The project addresses this problem, taking advantage of a recently completed, high-quality two-wave panel survey ( N=901) of SMEs in the Netherlands  (fielded by Verian – previously Kantar). It provides descriptive and explanatory analyses of SME interests and representation a) in general, b) in sustainability policies, c) in employment relations, and d) through business interest organisations. 

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will conduct the relevant statistical analyses and author or co-author a number of manuscripts for publication in international scientific journals. You will do so in collaboration with the PI, and in part also in collaboration with other academics from political science, economics and business administration. You will participate in academic conferences in order to discuss the research with the relevant international academic community. 

In collaboration with the PI and with the help of a student assistant, you will also contribute to the development and organisation of knowledge dissemination activities and products for stakeholders (e.g. info sheets, research summaries for practitioner-oriented journals, a policy brief and a stakeholder symposium).

This postdoctoral researcher position involves 20% teaching duties (including thesis supervision).

This position provides an excellent opportunity for an early or mid-career academic to establish a strong track record in high-quality research that is both scientifically and societally relevant, while also gaining experience in working in an interdisciplinary setting, in contributing to knowledge dissemination, and in teaching. A longer project description is available from the PI upon request (alex.lehr@ru.nl).    

3. Profile

• You should have a PhD degree in a relevant social science discipline broadly defined (sociology, political science, economics, business administration) or a related discipline.
• You are genuinely interested in the study of business interests and representation.
• You have a good command of statistical research methods,  particularly regarding the analysis of longitudinal/panel data.
• You have experience with data management.
• You have experience with publishing research in international scientific journals.
• You value scientific integrity, reproducibility and neutrality in your work as a researcher.
• You are interested in working in an interdisciplinary setting and are able to acquire viewpoints from various disciplines in the social sciences, broadly defined.
• You can work both independently and in a team.
•  You are willing to teach a limited number of courses in our undergraduate political science programme.
• You have a good command of the English language.

Desirables: 

• You have experience conducting research on business interests and/or employment relations.
• You have experience with analysing survey data and modelling longitudinal/panel data.
• You have experience in teaching and supervising undergraduate students.
• You are able to teach courses in the Dutch language.

4. We are

The Department of Political Science examines the complexity and interconnectedness of contemporary politics with a focus on legitimacy and institutional change. The department consists of two chair groups: Empirical Political Science and International Relations. Jointly, they offer Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in Political Science.

You will be based within the chair group Empirical Political Science. This chair group has particular strengths in Comparative Politics, Political Theory, as well as Quantitative and Qualitative Methodology. Major research topics include populism, voter behaviour, and attitudes, labour movements, as well as the moral legitimacy of institutions and policies. Many of its individual members contribute to more than one of these subjects, and are active in interdisciplinary Hot Spots and research collaborations across Nijmegen School of Management and beyond.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 28 months.
• Your salary within salary scale 10 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Alex Lehr. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on Thursday 8 May. Any second interview will take place on Thursday 15 May. You will preferably start your employment on 1 June 2025.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information.