RC32 - Public Policy and Administration

The general aim of the POLADMIN project is to investigate the determinants of policy advice utilisation by political advisers in ministerial cabinet systems.

Summary of the research project:

In ministerial cabinet systems, political advisers’ policy making role is central. They manage the formulation of public policies through the coordination of inside and outside sources of policy-relevant knowledge, produced by multiple sources in what has increasingly become a pluralised, horizontal policy advisory landscape. As much as they are producers of advice, advisers are also receivers of policy relevant knowledge. The task of producing quality public policy is a difficult exercise of navigating oneself around multiple information and knowledge streams. How do advisers choose which policy relevant knowledge to use when designing new public policies? The project aims at investigating the determinants of policy advice utilisation by political advisers in ministerial cabinet systems. An explanation is attempted on the basis of six categories of explanatory variables: a) nature of the political and policy challenge; b) policy advice characteristics; c) advice supplier characteristics; d) user’s characteristics; e) dissemination activities; f) interactions and linkages among advisers and users. The project is designed as an internationally comparative study of the oldest and most representative cases of the ministerial cabinet system tradition: France and Belgium. Core findings can be expected to travel across systems of the same tradition. Westminster and non-Napoleonic systems, in a process of “cabinetisation”, could also be enlightened by these two historical cases.

Job description:

The doctoral researcher will work under the direction of Profs David Aubin and Christian de Visscher at UCL and Marleen Brans at KULeuven. More specifically, she (or he) will conduct the research project, which means the following: finalise the theoretical framework, prepare, test and manage the survey, make interviews both in France and Belgium, analyse the data and disseminate the research outcomes in international conferences and journals. From a theoretical perspective, the researcher will operate a synthesis on policy advisers, from the literatures on policy advice, policy advisory systems and knowledge utilisation. She or he will be part of an international network of researchers (France, Ireland, The Netherlands, Canada, etc.).

Job offer:

-          Four-year full-time research activity (100%, 48 months) at Louvain-la-Neuve with frequent meetings in Leuven, as of 1^st October 2016;

-          Realisation of a PhD thesis in close relationship with the project.

Required qualifications:

-         Master 120 in public administration, political science or any other social science discipline, passed with honours (or on the way to be passed);

-         Proficiency in English and French.

Assets:

-         One-year abroad and/or research experience in close relationship with the project’s theme;

-         Good knowledge of quantitative methods;

-         Proficiency in Dutch.

Conditions:

-          PhD scholarship according to the pay scale of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels;

-          Public transport pass;

-          Additional benefits (on demand).

Documents:

-          A detailed CV;

-          A motivation letter;

-          A copy of the master thesis or any single-authored paper (if possible in English);

-          A copy of the available master’s quotes.

For more information, please contact Prof. David Aubin, by email only (david.aubin@uclouvain.be). The application files must be sent electronically at this address on 20 June 2016 at the latest. The preselected candidates will be contacted for an interview.