Job title: Researcher in Social Sciences
Institution: Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI), Stockholm University
Deadline for applications: 13 August 2026
Weblink for full call for applications: https://su.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:946907/
The Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University is currently accepting applications for a researcher position. The position is linked to the project, Making Time: Organised Labour and the Politics of Care Leave, funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The project combines social movement and welfare state development research and examines the role of trade unions and organizsed labour in advocating and shaping care leave policies. These policies, which vary considerably across countries and over time, grant job-protected time-off from work to address self-care or family care needs for a child, spouse, parent or other relative. Analyses will consider differences in trade unions and the types of workers they represent, investigate the mechanisms of potential union influence over policy and compare union-policy relationships across different institutional contexts.
MakingTime is a mixed-method project that includes case studies of leave policy development in Ireland, France and the Netherlands. Each country represents different degrees of corporatism and has adopted or reformed leave provisions in the previous decade. Process-tracing techniques will be used to examine the introduction and movement of leave legislation through the policy-making process. The researcher will therefore collect and analyze archival government documents and news media reports and identify and interview key political actors. Additional trade union leaders will be interviewed regardless of their involvement in leave policy advocacy.
The project will hire one researcher for the French case study and one researcher for the Dutch case study. The current call is open for the applicant to select their preference for researching either France or the Netherlands. A PhD in sociology, political science or related discipline is required. The two-year (full-time equivalent) position will be devoted to the case study part of the project. Work in France/the Netherlands may be required.
Read more about the position and apply here: Researcher in Social Sciences
Contact: Cassandra Engeman, cassandra.engeman@sofi.su.se