PhD Studentships: Work on Demand: Contracting for Work in a Changing Economy

PhD Studentships: Work on Demand: Contracting for Work in a Changing Economy

University of Glasgow

Description

The Work on Demand (‘WorkOD’) project seeks to investigate the ever-evolving nature of contracts and contracting behaviour in the world of work – not only contracts of employment, but also those of casual, ‘zero-hours’, and self-employed workers. A particular point of focus is the emerging ‘gig’ or ‘on demand’ economy. The project has a strong comparative dimension, and will analyse differences in forms of contract and contracting behaviour across jurisdictions and over the course of several decades. A key innovation is the characterisation of contracting for work as an instance of economic, social and legal behaviour. With the aim of developing a new methodology for the study of work contracts, the project seeks to synthesise elements of economic sociology, sociology of law, and political economy into a new ‘economic sociology of labour law’. The relevance of this work will extend beyond the field of labour law into other legal disciplines and branches of social science.

The project builds on previous research conducted by the Principal Investigator, Professor Ruth Dukes, into traditional and more recent market-based approaches to the study of labour law. It is funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant.

Eligibility

Home/EU and international applicants are eligible to apply. Candidates must have a first, upper second class honours, and/or Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (eg Law, Sociology, Political Science). They should have a good knowledge of current trends and debates in the fields of labour law and the organization of working relationships. Knowledge of a second language is desirable.

For candidates whose first language is not English, we require IELTS 7.0 (with 6.5 in each component) or equivalent.

The Award

The scholarship will run for a maximum of 3 years full-time commencing on 1 October 2018 and will provide:

• an annual maintenance grant at the RCUK rate (2018-19 rate £14,764 full-time*)
• fees at the standard Home/EU or International rate
• additional financial support for fieldwork and conference attendance

* NB £14,764 is the likely rate for 2018-19, as yet to be confirmed

How to Apply

All applicants should complete and collate the following documentation then attach to a single email and send to socsci-scholarship@glasgow.ac.uk by 28 February 2018:

Academic Transcript(s)

Full academic transcript(s) from previous studies (undergraduate and postgraduate).

2 references

On official headed notepaper and signed by referees.

References given to candidates in sealed envelopes should be opened, scanned and attached to the email.

References can also be emailed direct to socsci-scholarship@glasgow.ac.uk by referees via their official University email address; clearly labelling the reference e.g. “John Smith Work on Demand Scholarship Reference”

Copy of CV

Research Proposal 

A brief 2-page document outlining the applicant’s proposed contribution to the research project.

Any application which fails to meet the above requirements will not be considered.

Selection Process

Applications will be ranked by a selection panel and shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview in the second half of March 2018. All applicants will be notified of the decision on their application by 31 March 2018.