PhD Position in Political Science

The Department of Political Science at the University of Basel, Switzerland, is looking for a PhD position for the project “Electoral choice. Which role does legislators' quality play", which is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). This project is a collaboration of the University of Basel and the University of Geneva together with a team of international experts. Project investigators are Prof. Nathalie Giger and Prof. Stefanie Bailer.

This project examines the quality of politicians, with a particular focus on how citizens assess it. Beyond ideology, we explore whether MPs can effectively perform and implement their ideas - something shaped by their effort and policy influence. The project develops a comprehensive index of MP quality always with a close focus on which qualities voters value most. In a second step, we analyze how these factors influence vote choice, and how the role of quality in elections can be strengthened. Empirically, the project combines surveys, survey experiments, and text-as-data methods.

• Master in Political Science or related field
• Strong skills in quantitative methods and a strong command of R or another statistical programme
• Motivation to conduct independent research on your PhD as well as work together with an international team of researchers
• Interest in research on legislators and voters
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• A joint research project (University of Basel and Geneva) in which you can set your own research focus
• A position for four years
• Salary and social benefits according to the University of Basel and SNF rules
• Resources to conduct your own research and participate in international conferences and summer schools
• Membership in the Graduate School of Social Sciences (G3S)
• An international research environment

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