The Department of Society Studies is looking for a motivated Postdoctoral researcher to collaborate on an exciting research project seeking to understand the effects of fiscal policy and the biases of taxation regimes on automation in Europe. You will be offered to opportunity to take the lead on the quantitative work packages of the project where you will be tasked with the creation and analysis of an original dataset of fiscal policy stances and their effects on automation in Europe.

This is a three-year position, and the division of tasks will be 80% research and 20% teaching. As such, you will be offered to opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience across a variety of BA and MA programmes, such as the BA in European Studies, the BA in Digital Society and the MA in European Studies

This position will be part of the Politics and Culture in Europe (PCE) research programme. PCE is an interdisciplinary research environment where you will engage with colleagues from across disciplines to develop collaborative research and contribute to the active research environment of the group, and FASoS at large.

• You will lead the design and implementation of the projects quantitative work packages;
• You will collaborate on the design and implementation of the project’s case studies;
• You will support administrative aspects of the project;
• You will work together with other researchers at FASoS, but closely with the coordinator of the project;
• You will contribute to teaching in a variety of BA and MA programmes, such as the BA in European Studies, the BA in Digital Society and the MA in European Studies;
• You are expected to align with Maastricht University’s core values of academic citizenship, leadership, teamwork, and impact/open science as developed within the framework of the Dutch Recognition and Reward policy.

Candidates should have a background in political science of political economy (writ broadly) and should be highly motivated to collaboratively work on questions of technological change in capitalist democracies. You will be capable and excited to take ownership of the quantitative work packages of the project and be willing to contribute to case studies. You:

• Hold a PhD in political economy or political science (or a closely related discipline such as economics, public policy or economic sociology);
• Have some affinity with macroeconomic principles and fiscal policy in particular;
• Have expertise in quantitative methodology;
• Have experience with statistical research packages, either STATA or R;
• Are motivated and passionate about research;
• are open to interdisciplinary and mixed method collaboration;
• Have a developing track-record of high-quality international publications;
• Are fluent in English (Cambridge English Proficiency, level C2, orally and written).

What we offer
As Postdoc at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 11 according to UFO profile Researcher, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from € 4,332 and € 5,929 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE with the possibility of an extension for an additional 2 years following positive evaluation.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'Recognition and Reward'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences FASoS is a close-knit community of approximately 250 staff members and 2100 students. During breaks and before meetings, you can often find us at our favourite local coffee spot Bandito Espresso.

Communication lines within our faculty are short and colleagues are always ready to assist each other. FASoS consists of a highly international student population and a significant part of our staff comes from abroad. Our faculty offers four bachelor programs, eight masters programs and two research master programs that are all characterized by their interdisciplinary approach.

Our research institute studies societies and cultures as they have developed in the modern and contemporary periods. We adopt a radically interdisciplinary approach, analysing the interconnections between Europeanization, globalization, scientific and technological advancement, political change, and cultural innovation.

In addition to teaching and research, our colleagues enjoy expressing themselves creatively. They create podcasts, write poetry as well as fiction.

Working at FASoS means working in a challenging yet informal environment. We believe in crafting your own career path and are always ready to help you in making the most of your job. For more information about FASoS, you can visit our website FASoS