项目介绍

2026年4月27日

Introduction

Global development finance is undergoing a profound transformation. Emerging donors—such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Gulf states—now channel tens of billions of dollars annually, while traditional donors are scaling back their engagement. This shift is reshaping global governance and influencing how pressing transnational challenges—such as gender inequality, climate change, and sustainable development—are addressed.

This project examines how these emerging actors are redefining development cooperation through new priorities, funding instruments, and institutional arrangements. Despite their growing importance, their approaches remain insufficiently understood, with existing research largely focused on China and overlooking the diversity of practices among other donors.

The project addresses this gap through three core research questions: (1) to what extent emerging donors’ practices align with or diverge from international norms (e.g. SDGs, Paris Agreement, OECD-DAC principles); (2) which institutional models they favor—such as bilateral finance, policy banks, South–South cooperation platforms, or multilateral development banks—and under what conditions; and (3) how and why they integrate gender equality into development cooperation.

Using a comparative quantitative design, the project will build a novel cross-donor dataset to systematically compare emerging and traditional donors, identifying patterns of convergence, divergence, and new coalitions in a multipolar development landscape.

The PhD candidate will contribute to this research with a preferred focus on gender equality, while retaining the flexibility to explore related areas such as climate change or human rights. The project aims to advance academic understanding of global development governance while generating policy-relevant insights for governments and development actors navigating this evolving landscape.

Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join a research project examining how emerging development donors are reshaping global development finance and governance. The project focuses on actors such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Gulf states, and their approaches to key global challenges including gender equality, climate change, and sustainable development.

The PhD candidate will contribute to a comparative research agenda investigating the policy preferences and institutional choices of emerging donors. The position combines quantitative data analysis with a strong interest in global governance and development policy.

Key responsibilities include:

• Contributing to the development of a novel cross-donor dataset on development finance (e.g. OECD, GODAD and related sources)
• Coding and analyzing project-level data (sectoral focus, financial instruments, conditionality, governance features)
• Conducting comparative analysis of emerging and traditional donors
• Leading a PhD sub-project with a focus on gender equality, climate change or human rights in development cooperation
• Presenting research findings at academic conferences and contributing to peer-reviewed publications
• Engaging with policy debates and translating findings into policy-relevant insights

Job requirements

We are looking for a candidate who combines strong analytical skills with a clear interest in global development and international politics.

You have:

• A Master’s degree in political science, international relations, development studies, economics, or a related field
• Demonstrated interest in global governance, development finance, or international cooperation
• Strong quantitative research skills (or willingness to develop them), including experience with statistical software (e.g. R, Stata, or Python)
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in an international research environment
• Strong interest in gender equality or other transnational policy issues

Assets (not required but advantageous):

• Experience with large datasets or data coding
• Knowledge of development finance institutions or OECD-DAC frameworks
• Willigness to engage on policy debates on development finance

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 September 2026 and you will be based at team Policy, Politics & Society in Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). This position is for 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 3.059 to a maximum of € 3.881 gross per month Scale PhD on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is entered into for the duration of one year and  can be extended with three years if suitability is proven, if continued in the same position and if (financial and/or organizational) circumstances remain the same.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

–        Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centreOpens external!

–        Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUROpens external, FAME or QuEUR.

–        Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

–        Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

–        Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).

–        Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)
Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) combines various disciplines such as public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College is affiliated with the faculty. Within ESSB, we work in teams on education and research, emphasising interdisciplinarity, diversity, inclusion and sustainability. Together, we strive for societal and scientific impact.

ESSB distinguishes itself through inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary research, in which academics and students work together on complex social issues. Thanks to this approach, ESSB successfully attracts national and international research subsidies and funds, with which we continuously strengthen and renew our education and research.

ESSB serves almost 6,000 students annually with a wide range of bachelor’s and master’s programmes and has more than 600 employees. These programmes are highly rated by students and alumni. Within ESSB, developing new insights and realising positive societal impact are central, always with a focus on people and society.

Visit our website for more information about the faculty, and click here for more information about our academic teams.

Group

Department of Public Administration and Sociology (DPAS)

DPAS encompasses the disciplines Public Administration and Sociology: two related scientific fields each with a unique profile. Public Administration studies governance capacity and policy interventions. It focuses on institutional power to organize and intervene in the relations between different social, political and economic actors. Public Administration in Rotterdam goes far beyond the public realm to also pay attention to public-private cooperation and the networks of organizations. Sociology investigates the social structures of societies and the way these evolve. Sociologists in Rotterdam focus, inter alia, on processes of globalization and individualization, and the effects of these processes on international social relations, the labor market and family relations. Social issues that are studied under this banner include migration, flexibilization and solidarity. The perspectives of Public Administration and Sociology complement each other. Together they guarantee a highly relevant and scientific approach to topical administrative and social issues. The bachelor- and master programs of DPAS are built on this profile and develop students into scientifically schooled professionals.

Department

Team Policy, Politics and Society (PPS)
The Policy, Politics and Society (PPS) team is an interdisciplinary team conducting research and teaching on various complex policy topics. Working according to the principles of ‘team science’, we aim to provide a stimulating and creative environment for academic development. In addition to academic impact, we also attach great importance to societal impact and engagement, especially towards communities, governments and organisations. The team brings diverse expertise in institutional change, wellbeing and inclusion, European and global policy, resilient cities, e-governance, and migration and diversity.

For more information, please visit our website.

Applying

Please submit your application, consisting of a motivation letter, CV and a write sample (Master thesis, publication), before the vacancy closing date.

The selection procedure consists of two interviews. Interviews are expected to be held in the week of the first of June.

You can find more information about the EUR on our website www.eur.nl. For more information about this vacancy, please contact Clara Egger (egger@essb.eur.nl) or Saliha Metinsoy (metinsoy@essb.eur.nl).

We look forward to receiving your application.

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.