Gepubliceerd op 30-01-2024

PhD Scholarship in the Historical Sociology of UK Civil Society Leaders – Copenhagen Business School

PhD Scholarship in the Historical Sociology of UK Civil Society Leaders

The Department of Business Humanities and Law at Copenhagen Business School invites applications for a vacant PhD scholarship in the historical sociology of UK civil society leaders. The starting date is expected to be 1 June 2024, or as agreed upon consultation.

The PhD position is a 3-year full-time contract and part of the European Research Council Starting Grant project ‘Moral Elites: The Historical Positioning of Civil Society Leaders in National Moral Economies’ (MORALITES). More information about the project is available here. The project team will consist of two PhDs, two postdocs, and the PI.

The central objectives of the overall project are 1) to theorize the concepts of moral elites and moral economies to capture the role of civil society elites in influencing the ideational basis of society, 2) to explain how the positions and position-takings of civil society elites have shaped the historical trajectory of moral economies, and 3) to compare the influence of civil society elites in different national moral economies.

The project will analyse the historical positioning of civil society leaders by applying methods such as 1) Multiple Correspondence Analysis and Social Network Analysis on biographical and career data, and 2) NLP Topic Modelling to analyse textual data.

The project is divided into five work packages focusing on four country cases: 1) Italy, 2) Denmark, 3) Poland, 4) the UK, and 5) a methods and analysis work package. The vacant PhD Scholarship is attached to the fourth work package.

Candidates are expected to have a social science or humanities profile and an interest in working with civil society and historical sociology. Knowledge of the kinds of methods and data mentioned above is an advantage but is not a requirement.

For more information about the position, please contact PI of the project Assistant Professor Anders Sevelsted, ase.bhl@cbs.dk.

Research environment

The Department of Business Humanities and Law is dedicated to an integrated approach to the contemporary challenges facing business and society drawing on the humanities, interdisciplinary social sciences, and law. It emphasizes problem-oriented research to understand those challenges and to build the lifelong capabilities necessary to address them. Faculty within the Department of Business Humanities and Law have diverse research backgrounds and research foci including but not limited to leadership, entrepreneurship, ethics, strategy, law, politics, sociology, philosophy, history, anthropology, diversity, equity and inclusion, and leisure management. What unites faculty is an overriding concern for the organization of the human within its multiple environments and, by implication, a research interest in the interdisciplinary “conversation” between humanities and social sciences.

Within the Department of Business Humanities and Law, the position will be located in the Governance, Culture and Learning Unit, an interdisciplinary research environment connecting governance studies at all levels of society.

The three-year PhD programme at CBS allows you to conduct research under the supervision of CBS professors, supported by research training courses. The programme is highly international, and you are expected to participate in international research conferences and to spend time abroad as a visiting PhD student. See the CBS homepage for more information about the PhD programme, http://uk.cbs.dk/phd.

CBS PhD graduates are held in high esteem not only in academia and research institutions but also in government and business where their research qualifications are increasingly demanded. One third of CBS PhD graduates go on to employment outside universities and public research institutions.

CBS is committed to ensuring excellence, transformative and relevant teaching and research. Candidates who wish to join us must be interested in working in an organisation of this type and it is expected that the applicant shows an interest in joining the department’s research environment. You can read more about the department’s research here: www.cbs.dk/bhl. The successful candidate will be fully supported in the development of their research career profile by the Department; however, no guarantee of future employment after the three years can be made.

To fulfil the requirements of the position, the applicant chosen is expected to be physically present on a regular basis and actively participate in the activities of the Department.

Qualifications

We invite candidates from different disciplinary backgrounds in either sociology, political science, or digital humanities. Applicants are required to develop a theoretically grounded research proposal with a clear empirical focus. Possible topics related to the historical UK civil society leaders (of union, party, co-ops, Friendly Societies, Mutual Benefit Associations, charities etc.) include (but are not limited to): Historical impact on political economy, social policy, or political institutions; career trajectories and institutionalization; ideas and ideologies; collective biographies. Applicants should be interested in working with methods such as Multiple Correspondence Analysis, Social Network Analysis, and/or NLP Topic Modelling. It is an advantage but not a requirement that the candidate has experience with these methods as methods workshops will be provided as part of the project.

Applications will be judged by the qualifications and motivation of the candidate, the originality and rigor of the outlined project, the feasibility of the empirical work, and the relevance and suitability of the proposal to the Department’s strategic foci.

The assessment of the candidate will be based primarily on the following qualifications:

excellent academic track record and/or a promising pipeline, and an ability to clearly articulate a research agenda in Business Humanities and Law;
enthusiasm for empirical interdisciplinary research;
ability to work autonomously, and as part of a team;
excellent organizational and communication skills (both oral and written);
proficiency in English is required;
Ability to engage with others in a way that reflects our collective commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Application and admission requirements

The department will give priority to applicants with high grades from their universities.

All applications must be sent via the electronic recruitment system, using the link below. To be considered applicants must:

have a basic education at master’s level (corresponding to the 3 + 2 Bologna process and a total of 180+120 ECTS);
have received the grade of 10 (or above) for the master’s thesis according to the Danish 7-point grading scale (https://eng.uvm.dk/general-overview/7-point-grading-scale);
have a weighted grade point average of at least 8.2 on the Danish 7-point grading scale for the bachelor’s and master’s degree combined, or alternatively a weighted grade point average of at least 9.5 for the master’s degree alone. If the grade point average is not met, documentation for being in the top 40% of the class is also accepted;
have an educational background in the humanities or social sciences;
have completed the master’s programme before starting the PhD programme at CBS;
master academic English at a high level in writing and speaking. Other project relevant language skills are desirable;

The application (see link below) must include a research proposal of three to five-pages. The project description must include:

a presentation of an original research question;
a description of the initial theoretical framework and method;
a presentation of the proposed empirical material such as career data, biographical data and/or textual data;
a work plan for the three years;

More information can be found here: https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programmes/admission.

In addition to the project description, copies of the following must be included:

diploma for bachelor’s and master’s degree or other certificates at an equivalent level as well as the grade transcripts;
documentation for being in the top 40% of the class (if grade requirements are not met);
a concise curriculum vitae (CV);
a list of articles and publications (if applicable);
one example of a selected written work (e.g. master’s thesis).

Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices (see items above), by the application deadline.

The PhD student is enrolled in the CBS PhD School. More information can be found here: https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programmes/admission. Further information about PhD scholarships and the PhD programme can be found at https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programme.

Employment and salary

A PhD scholarship runs for a period of three years and includes teaching obligations equivalent to six months’ work (840 work hours). The scholarships are fully salaried positions, according to the national Danish collective agreement. The monthly salary is currently approximately DKK 28,993 up to DKK 35,015 depending on seniority and a pension contribution totalling 17.1%. The scholarship includes tuition fees, office space, course and travel costs (according to the current CBS agreement).

Salary level and employment take place in accordance with the Ministry of Taxation’s agreement with the Academics’ Central Organization.

Recruitment procedure

The Recruitment Committee shortlists at least two-five applicants to be assessed by the Assessment Committee. Applicants are informed whether their application has proceeded for assessment.

Applicants selected for assessment will be notified about the composition of the Assessment Committee and will receive their personal assessment later. Selected applicants will be invited for an interview. Please note that a positive assessment does not automatically result in an interview. Once the recruitment process is completed each applicant will be notified of the outcome of their application.

The application must be sent via the online link below.

Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices (see above), by the application deadline.

For further information, please contact: PI of the project Assistant Professor, Anders Sevelsted, email ase.bhl@cbs.dk, or Head of Department Professor Mitchell Dean, e-mail mde.bhl@cbs.dk. Information about the department may be found at www.cbs.dk/bhl. Information about Copenhagen Business School is available at https://www.cbs.dk/en.