For a research project between the European University Institute and the London School of Economics, we are actively seeking two short-term research assistants to contribute to a study focused on analysing political stances and populism within text. The duration of the project will be from mid-November to the end of January.
Essential Criteria:
- Native speaking proficiency in Italian or Spanish (Castilian and Catalan to at least a native proficiency in reading).
- In-depth knowledge of the Spanish or Italian party system.
- Extensive understanding of both contemporary and historical political communication strategies and debates of parties in Spain or Italy, spanning from 1960 to 2020.
- Proficiency in political vocabulary pertinent to these communications and a solid grasp of Spanish/Italian grammar.
- A highly diligent and conscientious approach to work.
- Excellent time management and self-organization skills.
- Excellent communication abilities.
- English fluency (C1 level or above) is required, as the working language will be English.
- Personal access to a computer and a stable internet connection.
- Completion of undergraduate studies, or current enrolment in a master’s degree program in Political Science or a related Social Science field, both with excellent grades.
Responsibilities:
- Reviewing and expanding a pre-existing list of political keywords in Spanish/Italian based on different predefined concepts and an English-language list
- Expanding the list with conjugated and declined forms.
- Pre-processing election manifestos according to instructions
- Learning to accurately label sentences from party manifestos according to a specified coding scheme.
- Manually labelling a sentences from Spanish party manifesto from a wide range of parties.
Each work package comprises of roughly 70-75 hours of work and is expected to be conducted primarily from mid-November through late January. While research assistants are expected to meet recommended weekly work targets, the schedule is rather flexible and self-directed. All work can be performed remotely, with meetings and training sessions conducted via Zoom.
Employment will be formalised through a service contract with the European University Institute, with compensation set at €13.00 per hour. Applicants must possess work authorisation within the EU.
For inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact me. Applications should be sent to Julia.Leschke@eui.eu by Wednesday, 1st November, 7pm, with the email subject line 'RA Application'. Your application should be in English and include:
- A short letter of motivation (half a page, maximum of one page), briefly explaining how you fulfil the essential criteria.
- A curriculum vitae (not exceeding three pages).
- A transcript of records or degree certificate from your undergraduate programme and if applicable your current master’s programme (English translation preferred, but not mandatory).
We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and strongly encourage applications from women*, individuals from minority groups, and other underrepresented communities.