About the Fellowship
The University of Tartu (Estonia) announces a call for applications for doctoral candidates and PhD-holding academics in the Social Sciences for a five-month fellowship at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, supported by the Eurasia Program of the Open Society Foundations. The call is addressed to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
The purpose of the fellowship program is to enable scholars from the target countries to develop analytical and research skills and build international networks by participating in a five-month resident fellowship program at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu.
FELLOWSHIP PERIOD: February 1 – June 30, 2017 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: November 20, 2016
THEMATIC FOCUS
The fellowship program focuses on political and societal transition in Eurasia and Eastern Europe in a comparative perspective. Post-communist transformation processes in the region have produced a variety of political outcomes, ranging from dictatorships to hybrid regimes to consolidated democracies. The record on governance and quality of public institutions is equally mixed: while some countries are plagued by endemic corruption and inefficient governance, others have succeeded in building accountable, open and innovative public institutions. The region remains dynamic, as authoritarian regimes face public demands for democratic change, greater accountability and better performance – and sometimes react by further constraining dissent. In countries that have succeeded in building well-functioning democratic institutions, backsliding remains a possibility, as democratic institutions face economic pressures and are challenged by populists promising simple solutions to complex problems. Finally, transformation processes in Eurasia and Eastern Europe continue to unfold in a complex international environment, and are influenced by external actors pursuing different – and often competing -- interests and agendas.
The fellowship program is premised on the idea that there are valuable lessons to be learned from a comparative analysis of political and societal transition in Eurasia and Eastern Europe, and that such analysis has the potential to lead to better policies and positive change. We invite doctoral candidates and young scholars to propose research projects relevant to this general theme. Specific sub-topics on which the host institution is prepared to provide research supervision include:
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Democracy, democratization, elections, civic participation;
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State- and nation-building, governance, political institutions;
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E-governance, e-society, e-services, e-voting;
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Ethnic diversity, minority politics and policies;
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Political memory, memory politics, transitional justice;
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Identity, values, public opinion;
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European integration, including the Eastern partnership; other regional
integration projects and initiatives;
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International relations and regional security.
FELLOWSHIP STRUCTURE:
The project will support two fellows (one PhD candidate and one Post-doctoral Fellow) for a five-month period (February 1 to June 30, 2017). Fellows will be resident scholars at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu (see also Host Institution, below.) They will work on their individual research projects under the supervision of a senior academic. During the fellowship they will have the opportunity to improve their analytical skills, research methodology and writing by making use of resources, supervision and training provided by the host institution. Upon each fellow’s acceptance, relevant interests and training needs are assessed, and an individual work plan is agreed upon by the fellow and a host institution, detailing activities and outcomes to be achieved. Typically, the outcomes include the completion of one or several research or policy papers (academic article, dissertation chapter, policy brief, etc.) and the presentation of this work at a conference, workshop or research seminar. Fellows will have access to necessary training opportunities (including auditing courses) and research infrastructure such as libraries, databases and computing facilities. They are expected to actively participate in the academic life of the host institution, attending research
FINANCIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The fellows are supported by a grant from the OSF Eurasia program, administered by the University of Tartu. The grant covers travel, visa, accommodation, health insurance and living costs during the fellowship period. Specifically, the PhD candidate will receive a monthly scholarship of 1200 euros, while the Post-Doctoral Fellow will receive a net salary of 1500 euros per month.
The fellows are expected to cover accommodation and living costs from the monthly income specified above. The host institution will provide assistance in arranging suitable accommodation (options include single room in a modern dormitory or hostel, or a small guest apartment).
Additionally, expenses for one-time roundtrip travel to Tartu will be covered along with relevant visa and insurance fees. Air tickets will be arranged and covered directly by the University of Tartu. Visa and insurance fees must initially be incurred by the Fellow but will be reimbursed upon the Fellow’s arrival to Tartu.
The program does not provide any support to the fellows’ family members. The fellow is expected to be present in Tartu for the entire duration of the fellowship, with the exception of professional travel (e.g. conference attendance, visits to partner institutions) approved by the host institution.
HOST INSTITUTION
The University of Tartu is the leading higher education and research center in Estonia. Founded in 1632, UT ranks today among the top 2% of universities in the world. The Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies is an integrated teaching, research and policy studies unit of the University. The Institute encompasses more than 50 staff members, including professors, researchers, lecturers, doctoral candidates and policy analysts from more than a dozen countries of origin. The Institute is home to the Centre for EU-Russia Studies which is specifically devoted to research on political and social change in the EU and Eurasian region.
The University of Tartu is based in Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, which has a population of 100, 000.
ELIGIBILITY
- Applicants must be a citizen of one of the Eurasia Program target countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine or Uzbekistan) and be permanently residing in one of these countries;
- Applicants for the doctoral fellowship must be doctoral students enrolled in a PhD program* in the Social Sciences (broadly defined) at an institution of higher education in one of the program countries (for at least one year at the time of applying);
- Applicants for the postdoctoral fellowship must be young scholars who have been awarded a PhD (or candidate degree)* in the Social Sciences (broadly defined) during a period of six years preceding the application deadline;
- Applicants should have a very good command of English (be able to follow lectures and write academic or policy papers in English);
- Preference will be given to candidates who have not studied or worked in the EU or North America for extended periods of time.
*For the purposes of this program, a candidate degree (kandidatskaya) awarded in several Eurasian countries is considered to be an equivalent of a doctoral degree awarded in the Western system. Thus, the definition of a doctoral candidate includes those working towards their candidate degree.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The deadline for applications is November 20, 2016.
Application documents should be sent electronically to eurasiafellows@ut.ee by 23:59 Estonian time (GMT/UTC+02:00) on November 20, 2016. All documents should be English. Academic transcripts may be in a language other than English but should be accompanied by a translation provided (and signed) by the applicant.
Applicants for the Doctoral fellowship must submit the following documents:
- completed application form;
- description of the research project to be undertaken during the fellowship period
(max 4 pages), detailing the objectives and relevance of the project, main research questions, theoretical and empirical approaches and data used. Please indicate what the concrete research output will be (academic article, chapter of a dissertation or a book; policy paper, etc.). Feel free to indicate what kind of assistance and advice you need with this project; - CV detailing education, professional experience, and any publications; official letter from home university proving enrollment in a PhD program, together with an academic transcript (if applicable) detailing coursework completed;
- copy of the identification pages of the applicant’s passport.
Applicants for the Post-doctoral fellowship must submit the following documents:
- completed application form, available here;
- description of the research project to be undertaken during the fellowship period (max 4 pages), detailing the objectives and relevance of the project, main research 4 questions, theoretical and empirical approaches and data used. Please indicate what the concrete research output will be (academic article, chapter of a dissertation or a book; policy paper, etc.). Feel free to indicate what kind of assistance and advice you need with this project;
- CV detailing education, professional experience, and any publications;
- copy of PhD (or candidate degree) diploma and academic transcript (if applicable) detailing coursework completed;
- copy of the identification pages of the applicant’s passport.
Please address any questions about the program or the application process to
eurasiafellows@ut.ee
Applications will be reviewed by a three-member selection committee. Selection criteria include:
- quality and feasibility of the research proposal, including the extent to which it corresponds to the thematic focus and specific sub-topics of the program (as described above);
- academic and professional qualifications and abilities of the candidate;
- candidate’s potential to contribute to academic and policy debates in home country/the broader region;
- candidate’s command of the English language.
Please note that phone or Skype interviews will be carried out with short-listed applicants in order to verify English language proficiency and academic qualifications, and to discuss the proposed research.
All applicants will be notified of the results of the selection process within three weeks of the deadline.
For more information click "Further official information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://ceurus.ut.ee/call-for-applications-osf-eurasia-program-fellowships-at-tartu-estonia/