Job description

The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1342, "Global Dynamics of Social Policy," has been funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since 2018. The third phase represents the culmination of the 12-year research agenda. In Phase I, the worldwide introduction of social protection programs was mapped, and the Global Welfare State Information System (WeSIS) was established. Phase II documented the differences in the inclusiveness and scope of social policy benefits and integrated this information into WeSIS. In Phase III, based on this foundation, the socioeconomic effectiveness of social policy is being examined in terms of improving social conditions and promoting political integration.

The CRC is structured into two research areas. The six projects in Area A focus on the socioeconomic and political impacts of social policy in a global comparison. The six projects in Area B primarily investigate the political and socioeconomic consequences of social policy in selected countries or world regions. The Information Infrastructure Project (INF) provides a shared platform for data and methods.

This position is part of project B14 “Socially Motivated Reasoning in Social Policy Evaluation: Studying the Causal Effects of Social Policies on Citizens’ Political Attitudes and Behavior”. It examines when and how social policy promotes political integration and contributes to the stability of democratic systems. The project, led by Prof. Berens, Prof. Tepe, and Prof. Wegner, conducts survey and behavioral experiments in Germany, Mexico, and South Africa to test how motivated reasoning and politicized identities influence the effects of social policy. The project investigates individual attitudes and behavior using standardized survey data and data from behavioral experiments conducted in the laboratory, making use of quantitative analyses of individual and comparative case studies. 

Tasks 

1. Scientific services in research, collaboration on research projects

• Independent empirical research in the field of comparative political economy, comparative political science, political behavior, and/or empirical democracy research
• Collaboration on SFB subproject B14:
  • Collaboration in the development and preparation of a standardized survey and survey experiments, primarily for the cases of Mexico (Mexico City) and Germany (Hamburg),
  • Collaboration in data collection in the field (e. g. supervising pretests and conducting cognitive interviews) in Mexico City and Hamburg is desirable,
  • Collaboration in the comparative analysis and evaluation of standardized survey data collected in TP B14 from Hamburg, Mexico City, and Cape Town,

  • Collaboration in the analysis and evaluation of cross-national standardized survey data (WP1 of TP B14)

     

2. Own scientific research in the subject area of project B14, 

• Participation in the department's structured BIGSSS doctoral program, which offers advanced training in methodology and research contents
   

  3. Other university tasks, such as participation in academic self-administration and administrative tasks in the working group Global Social Policy and the Political System of the Federal Republic of Germany (to a limited extent),

• Supporting the organization of B14 project meetings and exchange (regular meetings of team members at University of Bremen and at Philipps-University Marburg)
• Supporting the organization of B14 research activities (e.g. workshops)

Requirements

• An above-average completed academic university degree (master's or university diploma)in political science, social sciences, or a related discipline with an interest in political economy and empirical research on developing and emerging countries
• Applicants who are in the final phase of their master's degree will also be considered. Please note that the master's degree certificate must be submitted in order to be hired.
• Knowledge of quantitative methods (e.g. analysis of survey data, multivariate regressions, etc.) demonstrated through the application of quantitative methods in a thesis (MA or BA)
• Programming skills in R (knowledge of Python is also welcome) demonstrated through application in theses or seminar papers
• Strong interest in scientific research and willingness to learn advanced quantitative methods (e.g., otree)
• Very good English language skills (at least C2)
• Very good German language skills (possibility of field research in Hamburg) are desirable
• Very good Spanish skills (possibility of field research in Mexico) are desirable
• Ability to work in a team and willingness to work independently
• For degrees obtained outside the EU, please provide a German translation and an evaluation from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). Alternatively, you may submit a PDF extract from the ANABIN database on the recognition and evaluation of foreign educational qualifications.

General Information

Open to unconventional approaches in research and teaching, the University of Bremen has retained its character as a place of short distances for people and ideas since its founding in 1971. With a broad spectrum of subjects, we combine exceptional performance and innovative potential. As an ambitious research university, we stand for research-based learning approaches and a pronounced interdisciplinary orientation. We actively pursue scientific cooperation in a spirit of global partnership. 

Today, around 23,000 people learn, teach, research, and work on our international campus. In research and teaching, administration and operations, we are strongly committed to the goals of sustainability, climate justice, and climate neutrality. Our Bremen spirit is expressed in the courage to try new things, in supportive cooperation, in respect and appreciation for each other. With our study and research profile and as part of the European YUFE network, we assume social responsibility in the region, in Europe, and in the world.

The university is family-friendly, diverse and sees itself as an international university. We therefore welcome all applicants regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity.

As the University of Bremen intends to increase the proportion of female employees in science, women are particularly encouraged to apply. In the case of equal qualifications, women are given priority, unless reasons relating to the person of a competitor prevail.

Disabled applicants will be given priority if their professional and personal qualifications are essentially the same. 

For general questions about the personnel selection procedure, as well as questions regarding the content of the advertised position, please contact: sarahprotect me ?!.berensprotect me ?!uni-bremen or markus.tepeprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de 

Please send your application with your complete documents (cover letter, curriculum vitae, qualification certificates, references) to the following address, quoting the reference number A263-25 until 14.01.2026 as a PDF file by unencrypted electronic mail to: gsp@uni-bremen.de

Or by mail to
Universität Bremen 
SFB 1342 
Stefanie Rühmann
Assistenz AG Politisches System der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, AG Computational Social Science und AG Globale Sozialpolitik
Postfach 33 04 40
28334 Bremen
GERMANY 

We kindly ask you to send us only copies (no portfolios) of your application documents, as we cannot return them. They will be destroyed after the selection process has been completed .Any application costs cannot be reimbursed.

Please note that no photos are to be attached to the application documents.