PhD Positions in Caspian Studies (Social Sciences) at University of Bremen in Germany, 2015

Applications are invited for PhD positions in the field of Caspian Studies (social sciences) at University of Bremen, Germany. International applicants are eligible to apply for this programme. Women are particularly encouraged to apply. Successful candidates will have to complete a PhD thesis related to one of the two topics within the contract period of 3 years. The application deadline is 12 April 2015.

Study Subject(s): Positions are awarded in the field of Caspian Studies (social sciences).
Course Level: Positions are available for PhD programme.
Scholarship Provider: MSCA grant of the European Union in the context of Horizon 2020 at University of Bremen, Germany
Scholarship can be taken at: Germany

Eligibility: Applicants are advised to check their eligibility under MSCA rules. Major criteria are: Mobility clause: Candidates must not have been resident or carried out activities in Germany for more
-than 12 months in the past three years (up to April 2015). Maximum seniority allowed: Candidates must have less than 4 years (full-time equivalent) of research
-experience after their Master’s degree. Applicants also need to meet the criteria for admission to doctoral studies at the University of Bremen, including a Master’s degree in a social science discipline.

Scholarship Open for International Students: International applicants are eligible to apply for this programme.

Scholarship Description:   2 PhD positions are available at the Research Centre for East European Studies (Forschungsstelle Osteuropa) at the University of Bremen. Successful candidates will have to complete a PhD thesis related to one of the following two topics within the contract period of 3 years:
Bremen-PhD1: Authoritarian strategies to create stability and legitimacy. The role of state income from natural resources (with a regional focus on Central Asia and the South Caucasus):- The literature on the rentier state and the resource curse argues convincingly that state income from exports of natural resources can be used to strengthen authoritarian states by either buying loyalty or building up state capacities for the suppression of dissent. However, little is known about the conditions under which this authoritarian strengthening becomes feasible and the explaining factors for specific strategies of the authoritarian leaders. The Caspian states offer interesting case studies in this respect as they all share a common Soviet legacy. Comparing resource-rich and resource-poor countries offers a chance to identify the impact of resource rents and will also provide a better understanding of general authoritarian strategies to create stability and legitimacy.
Bremen-PhD2: The (limited) development of welfare and social policies in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus: causes and dynamics:- The development of social welfare systems after the dissolution of the Soviet Union has been characterised by a twofold transformation: on a territorial level, the newly formed states of the post-Soviet region had to develop welfare institutions and policies independently for the first time. They were confronted with Soviet legacies in the form of existing institutions and popular expectations on the one hand and a global push for neo-liberal reforms, summarized at that time as Washington consensus, on the other hand. On a functional level, the new states, therefore, had to decide which policy fields should be covered by their welfare systems in which ways. This offers an ideal opportunity to identify debates, patterns and causes for specific welfare policy mixes.

Number of award(s): 2 PhD positions are available at the Research Centre for East European Studies (Forschungsstelle Osteuropa) at the University of Bremen.

Duration of award(s): The duration of award is three years.

What does it cover?

Selection criteria: Not Known

Notification: Not Known

How to Apply: Applications should be send via e-mail. The application package should include: cover letter
-short CV
-draft of a research design for one of the above mentioned two PhD projects (max 3 pages)
-name and contact details of three referees who can comment on the applicant’s professional
-competences and/or academic capacity Please submit complete application package by email as one pdf file.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline is 12 April 2015.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application