Recruitment : POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW to work on the PROTECCT project

The Center for the Sociology of Organisations is hiring a POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW to work on the PROTECCT project

Protecting against the social risks associated to climate change in Europe: a comparative perspective (ANR-24-CE41-7514)

Application to be sent before 6 July 2025

Interviews between 8 and 16 July 2025

Start of the contract in September 2025

28-months full-time contract at Sciences Po Paris, based at the Centre for the Sociology of Organizations (CSO), to work on the collective project PROTECCT (Protecting Against the Social Risks Associated to Climate Change in Europe: a Comparative Perspective), funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) (ANR-24-CE41-7514).

PROTECCT is coordinated by Anne-Laure Beaussier (CNRS, Sciences Po, CSO), and associates Lydie Cabane (Leiden University), Tom Chevalier (CNRS, Sciences Po, CEE), Benoit Giry (Sciences Po Rennes) and Bruno Palier (CNRS - Sciences Po, CEE). 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

What does it mean for the state to protect populations in the era of climate change? The last report on adaptation from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns against an "unavoidable increase in multiple climate hazards'' and "multiple risks for ecosystems and humans" in the short and medium terms, whatever efforts are made to reduce carbon emissions (IPCC 2022). While most recent science highlights that the European continent is warming up faster than expected and is facing “worse-than-anticipated climatic extreme events” (EEA 2024), the question of how to protect populations against the multiple consequences of these new climate related risks, which we consider here as social-ecological risks (Mandelli, Beaussier, Chevalier, Palier 2024), has become a pressing issue both in the political and institutional scenes and in academic debates, to which this research project aims to contribute. 

Building on two different literature and academic fields, social policy and comparative welfare state analysis on the one hand and environmental risks and disaster studies on the other, PROTECCT aims to understand how different European welfare states respond to climate-induced social risks, steaming from meteorological, hydrological, and climatological events leading to disasters such as droughts, heatwaves, floods, and coastal erosion. Affected populations face potential material losses due to the destruction of properties, injuries, loss of health (including mental health and trauma), as well as economic losses (loss of revenue, jobs, destruction of public infrastructure). It seeks to address the following research question “How can we characterize and explain variations in European policies to protect populations against the social risks associated with climate change-related environmental hazards?”. 

Built around three main work-packages, its main empirical goals are to: Map out, compare and explain the various policies implemented in Europe to protect populations against social ecological risks associated with droughts, heatwaves, floods and coastal erosion (WP1), Build an original policy database whose content will be made open access (WP2), and trace and account for different logics of reforms across Europe (WP3). 

Methodologically, PROTECCT is based on a mixed-method research design, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches (Aguilera and Chevalier 2021). The qualitative part involves a comparative case study analysis on how protection from the social risks associated with environmental hazards is framed in five European countries (Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Germany, and France). The quantitative part involves the development of an original comparative and longitudinal policy database of the diversity of protection policies against the social risks associated with environmental hazards in Europe that will cover 29 European countries (27 EU countries + UK) from 2000 to 2025, a time range (25 years) long enough to identify significant reforms already. 

PARTICIPANTS TO THE PROJECT:

PROTECCT involves researchers from four research laboratories, three in France and one in the Netherlands: the Center for Sociology of Organisations (CSO) and the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for the Evaluation of Public Policy (LIEPP) at Sciences Po Paris, Arènes at Sciences Po Rennes, and the Institute for Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) at Leiden University (Netherlands). 

Furthermore, PROTECCT is part of a wider research network and will be operating in close coordination with two associated research projects EP+4 funded by the French ministry of health (MIRE-DREES) and WELLRISCC (funded by the program CHANSE-NORFACE). 

As coordinating laboratory of the PROTECCT project, the CSO will handle administrative, communication and coordination tasks, on the top of conducting substantial empirical research. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

Under the responsibility of Anne-Laure Beaussier (project coordinator) and working closely with the other team members, you will be recruited for 28 months as a fulltime postdoctoral researcher on the PROTECTT project to map and analyse the policies developed by EU countries to protect populations against the social ecological risks associated with droughts, floods, coastal erosion and heatwaves.  

Your main responsibilities include organisational, empirical and analytical tasks, ranging from gathering empirical data, building the policy data-base in conjunction with the other members of the team, liaise and coordinate with postdocs from associated research projects (EP+4 and WELLRISCC), and participating in the analysis and to the valorisation of the research findings (communication and publication).  

Participate the quantitative part, in the mapping of relevant public policies in Europe, and in the construction of the database and its statistical processing

• Literature and documentary research: compilation of policy documents published by EU countries (+UK and Switzerland) with a view to identifying policies to protect against national environmental risks (existing remedial and compensation schemes, adaptation schemes, and regulatory schemes)
• In conjunction with the research team, participate in the conceptualization of the different categories of analysis of the database and participate in the construction of the database codebook
• Participation in the statistical processing of the database

Participate in qualitative research and conduct of comparative case studies

• Identify relevant actors and organizations nationally
• Schedule and conduct semi-structured interviews in some of the project case countries (N =10-15)
• Participate in the process tracing analysis in order to understand the different debates around the social risks related to environmental hazards, their actors, the ongoing reform processes, and the different national approaches and perspectives around the question of the role of the State and the socialization of environmental risks.
   

Organisational, planning and management tasks 

• Support the research team in the organization of the scientific events planned within the framework of the project.
• Support the CSO PI with administrative tasks
• Participate in the diffusion and valorisation of research results (help develop a website and social media strategy)
• Participate to publications and communications to conferences 
• Liaise and coordinate with post-doctoral researchers and research assistant from associated research projects (EP+4 and WELLRISCC)

REQUIRED SKILLS

• PhD in social sciences (sociology, political science) or equivalent. 
• Knowledge of and interest in one or several research topics relevant to the project (ex. social protection, welfare state, climate change, environmental risks and disasters) would be an asset
• Knowledge of public policy analysis 
• Methodological skills: data processing tool (R or STATA) and basic coding; qualitative interview techniques (identifying and contacting potential interviewees, conducting semi-directed interviews with policymakers in different EU countries).
• Strong analytical and writing skills for the preparation of countries profiles, reports and articles.
• Organizational skills
• Ability to work independently
• Excellent command of English and French, and possibly other project country language.

EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

- 28 months fixed-term contract.

- Full time, based at the Center for Sociology of Organisations (Sciences Po Paris, Campus Saint-Thomas d’Aquin, 1 place Saint-Thomas d’Aquin 75007 Paris)

- Remuneration according to qualifications -starting from EUR 2900 (gross) /month.
 
RECRUITMENT PROCEDURE

Application must be sent before 6 July 2025 and should include a cover letter and a resume, as well as one relevant academic publication 

Interviews (in person or online) will take place between the 8th and the 16th of July 

Position to be filled quickly for a start in September 2025.

 Submit your application (CV+ cover letter) to annelaure.beaussier@sciencespo.fr indicating in the subject of the message “PROTECCT project: postdoc application” before July 6, 2025.