Applications are currently ongoing for the 2015 WIPCAD PhD Fellowships at University of Potsdam in Germany. The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Potsdam calls for applications for its DFG Research Training Group on “Wicked Problems, Contested Administrations: Knowledge, Coordination, Strategy” (WIPCAD). Wicked problems create conditions of high complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity to which public organisations have to respond.
The tensions emerging in this context can destabilize organisational structures and routines and call conventional methods of administration into question. Contestation occurs in various areas of organisational activity, from knowledge use and transfer to internal and external coordination and strategy building.
The Research Training Group studies the interrelationships between wicked policy problems and the contested development of administrative practices and organizational structures, both within public organizations and concerning relations to civil society and the private sector.
Study Subject(s)
The Dissertation Proposal for a doctoral fellowship should focus on the overall thematic agenda of WIPCAD and will address preferably, but not limited to, one of the following topics:
- 1 The influence of “new” forms of political participation on policy- making
2 Wicked problems and the structure and organization of governments
3 Modeling of processing wicked problems in public administrations
4 Local public sector reforms, leadership and coordination – coping locally with contestation and wicked problems
5 Knowledge generation/utilization; monitoring and evaluation of public administrations/public sector organizations; evidence-based decision-making in politics and administration
6 Climate clubs: concepts, models, empirics
7 Entrepreneurship & credible commitment
8 Organization and management of climate change adaptation in the developing world (upcoming)
9 Organizational adjustments and change in international aid agencies (upcoming)
10 Dealing with wicked problems in organizations
11 Solving wicked problems through design thinking and social entrepreneurship
Fellowships are awarded for pursuing research programme within the faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Potsdam.
Scholarship Value
DFG- and University-funded doctoral fellows will receive a monthly scholarship of €1,365 per month (€16,380 per year) plus €103 per month in grants (€1,236 per year) for up to 36 months, contingent on the successful completion of the first year.
In addition, the Research Training Group provides additional funds for parents of 400 per months (+€100 for every further child) and funds to support field research, travel, and conference attendance.
Key selection criteria are the quality of the PhD proposal, how well it fits in with the overall thematic agenda of the Research Training Group, its innovative potential and its likely contribution to the existing state of knowledge in public organizations and administration.
Eligibility
- • Applicants must hold a Diploma or a Master’s degree in political and administrative sciences, sociology or (public) management. Familiarity with organizational research is a plus and in exceptional cases, graduates with degrees from related fields may be considered.
• The language of instruction is English. Proficiency in English is required.
Application Deadline and Procedure
Complete applications should be submitted via e-mail. A complete application for a doctoral fellowship contains:
- • Personal and Academic Information Form
• Letter of Motivation
• Curriculum Vitae
• Degree Certificates and Transcripts
• Dissertation Proposal
• Certification of English Proficiency
• Two Letters of Reference
Please send all your application documents (1 through 7) as a single PDF-file not larger than 30 MB. The closing date for application is March 31, 2015.
Official Scholarship Website – http://www.wipcad-potsdam.de/call-for-applications-2015-6-phd-fellowships-from-october/
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