Call for post-doc project – Local and Regional Electoral Studies

Call for Post-Doctoral Projects (one year – Quito, Ecuador)

The Institute for Democracy (http://www.institutocne.gob.ec) is a research centre specialised in election studies and attached to the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Ecuador. In the framework of analyses of comparative electoral systems, national and sub-national elections, electronic voting, and direct democracy, we are seeking two (2) Post-Doctoral researchers. The appointment will begin on February 1st, 2014 or upon agreement.

Research Priorities for 2014
The Institute for Democracy is a public institution attached to the National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE). The institute is involved in the triple function of scientific research, training and technical assistance to electoral public servants and political parties, and the service to the community in the area of empowerment, political and civil rights, and citizenship.

Our research priorities for 2014 are:
· Quantitative analysis of the 2014 sub-national elections with special emphasis on variables such as gender parity, panachage, district magnitude and proportionality.
· Comparative analysis of the 2014 electronic voting pilot projects in Ecuador with special emphasis on electoral turnout, security, transparency and efficiency.
· Quantitative and qualitative analysis of local institutions with special emphasis on local governance, local governability and direct democracy.

Position / Profile
Candidates should be interested in comparative electoral and democracy studies and have a very good knowledge of quantitative methods. They must have completed a PhD in political science, statistics or related fields including communication science and sociology. Candidates need to be fluent in English. The knowledge of Spanish is an asset. The selected Post-Doctoral researchers will participate to the different scientific activities of the Institute for Democracy (publications, conferences, etc.).

Terms of employment
The work location is the Institute for Democracy in Quito, Ecuador. The selected candidates will be part of the Prometo Program and the salary is determined according to the Senescyt pay scale (4.320 USD/month) plus benefits (health care, travels, housing, etc.). The position is limited to one year. Feel free to contact Felipe Cisneros (felipecisneros@cne.gob.ec<mailto:felipecisneros@cne.gob.ec>) for further information. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2013 or until the position is filled.

Applications
Applications should include a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae (along with a list of publications) and the names and coordinates of three reference persons. Applications should also include a detailed research project on a topic related to the priorities of the Institute for Democracy for 2014 and contain:
– a short bio of the candidate (100 words)
– the objectives of the research project (200 words)
– the research question(s) and its limitation in time and space (500 words)
– the contribution to the discipline and the literature (200 words)
– the methodology (200 words)
– the expected outcomes (publications, teaching materials, resources for public service, etc.) (200 words)

Please send your electronic application (in English) to Felipe Cisneros (felipecisneros@cne.gob.ec<mailto:felipecisneros@cne.gob.ec>)