Institutions for collective action: link between size, heterogeneity, resilience

*(up to) 5-year fully-funded projects & state-of-the-art facilities*

Project summary

Remarkable about the growth of new Institutions for collective action (also collectivities, “commons”) today is their omnipresence in various sectors, and their tendency to utilise similar types of rules and mechanisms to achieve resilience - regardless of differences in resource types. There are subtle varieties in both their rules and adjustments that took place over time and how these try to mediate the effect of changes in the size and heterogeneity of both resources and members of these institutions. For this project, the PhD-student will analyse the internal functioning (such as member loyalty, rules, values) of a specific type of collectivities aimed at (natural) resource management in the European past (from the early-modern period to today) some of which were originally organised as guilds and then moved on as cooperatives after the dissolution of the guilds. Collective action was essential for the functioning of these communities – back then and now – for various reasons, ranging from creating more security to economic benefits generated by working closely together. Understanding how they did so, which rules they devised and how they prevented freeriding within the collectivity, and this in relationship with constant changes in the group size and heterogeneity is important to understand how an institution for collective action can be(come) resilient in the long run. The exact time frame for the study and the geographical area within Europe which the study will focus on will be decided jointly by the PhD-student and supervisors.

More information about the PhD Project can be found here:

·         Institutions for collective action: link between size, heterogeneity, resilience

Admission Requirements

To be considered for a PhD position in management at ERIM, you are expected to:

• hold an MSc, MA or MPhil degree in business or economics, or from related fields such as psychology, sociology, engineering, or mathematics (depending on PhD project)
• have excellent results in your first degree or graduate study
• show explicit interest in and motivation for scientific research
• have a GMAT or GRE test result that is not older than five years, and an indication of the required score is 85 per cent (required for all entering PhD students
• have TOEFL or IELTS test results. For internet-based TOEFL test, ERIM requires a total score of at least 100 and all section scores (writing, speaking, reading, and listening) should be at least 23. A minimum score of 600 is required on paper-based TOEFL test. For IELTS, the minimum overall band score is 7.5 and all section scores (writing, speaking, reading, and listening) should be at least 6.5. The language test results should not be older than two years.

In addition to these formal requirements, candidates for the programme are selected on the basis of their CVs, academic references, and interviews with the potential supervisors.

Project team composition

Prof. Dr. Tine de Moor, Rotterdam School of Management.

Dr. Fijnanda van Klingeren, Rotterdam School of Management.

Dr. Thomas Bauwens, Rotterdam School of Management.

Conditions of employment

Our PhD projects are fully funded and salaried positions, meaning that appointed PhD candidates are employees (promovendi) of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). Salary and benefits are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU). Fixed, gross monthly salaries are € 2,541 in the first year, € 2,960 in the second year, € 3,098 in the third year, and € 3,247 in the fourth and fifth year. EUR has attractive employment conditions, which include a holiday allowance of 8 per cent, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3 per cent, and a generous number of vacation days.

Successful candidates are appointed on a full-time basis for a duration up to five years. The PhD position is intended to start a.s.a.p.

PhD candidates also benefit from the state-of-the-art research facilities and financial support programme (ERIM Support Programmes - ESP), which ERIM set up for a wide range of research-related activities such as conference participation, international job markets, external courses, scientific and educational literature, visits to international supervisors, and international research studies.