The Political Economy of Power-Sharing in Post-Conflict Situations

A fully-funded 3-year PhD studentship is available within the International Development Department at the University of Birmingham. The studentship is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is part of the research project “The Political Economy of Power-Sharing in Post-Conflict Situations”.

Despite being one of the main causes of social conflict, existing research rarely investigates if and how patterns of resource redistribution actually change after a civil war. This research project turns to power-sharing arrangements between government and rebels and analyses how they affect resource allocation. The project employs a mixed-method approach. It uses statistical geo-spatial methods to investigate power-sharing as mechanism for sub-national resource redistribution in a global sample of post-conflict countries. In a second step, the project conducts qualitative within-case analyses and in-depth process tracing of two post-conflict situations (Liberia and the Aceh/Indonesia) to better understand causal processes and scope conditions.

The PhD candidate will be expected to develop a PhD project closely related to the overall project theme. This PhD project should utilize one or more of the research methodologies applied in the DFG research project. The PhD candidate will also assist in the project research and provide support to the principal investigator, being involved in the data collection, analysis, communication, dissemination and administration. In particular, the PhD candidate will have to be prepared to organize and carry out qualitative field research for the project in Liberia (semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions in Monrovia and the Liberian countryside). Any qualitative and/or quantitative data collected within the DFG project can be utilized by the PhD candidate for their own research. The PhD candidate might therefore want to consider Liberia as a country case for their own PhD project. Depending on their active participation in data collection and analysis, the candidate could also become a co-author on relevant publications emerging out of the project.

PhD candidate specification:

Required:
• Undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard as well as a Masters degree of at least merit standard. At least one of these will be in political science, development studies, or economics.
• Evidence of knowledge of civil wars and post-conflict transformations.

Desirable:
• Social science research experience, including qualitative and quantitative research methods, ideally as part of a relevant MA/MSc programme.
• Experience and interest in comparative and mixed-method research
• Some knowledge about, or experience of, living or working in an ODA-recipient country is welcome.

Applications must include the following information:
• Cover letter
• Research proposal (1,500 words) outlining the purpose, scope and methodology of the project, to include the original contribution to be made and the reason for choosing the International Development Department.
• Details of two academic referees
• Academic transcripts and certificates
• Proof of English language proficiency (where relevant)
Once candidates have been selected for the studentship, they will also be required to submit the above material to university admissions.