The IT University of Copenhagen invites applicants for a post doctoral research position in social science, starting 1 July 2011 or later.
The overall research question in the project is: It is possible to modernize the electoral process while balancing the trust of the people on the trustworthiness of the deployed technology?
In Denmark, ballot booths, ballot boxes, and paper votes are deeply rooted within election law and the voters' perception of what constitutes a legitimate election. Trust in the electoral process is a fundamental premise for the robustness of the democratic system. That is one important reason why technological improvement of the election process should be carried with great caution.
Advantages of electronic voting solutions, such as a greater accessibility and efficiency of the electoral process is countered by several challenges, including that the complexity of the technology might inhibit transparency, the risk of programming errors and the vulnerability to malicious attacks, and the risk that voters might loose trust in the democratic process. Notwithstanding, the election process is currently becoming increasingly digitized.
The role of this social science post doctoral researcher is to take part in a collaborative empirical investigation of the project in action and the issues at stake, such as changes in trust and the accountabilities in the electoral processes, the genealogy of democracy and technology and, the organizational changes related to digitization in municipalities. The aim is to analyze and assess social, political and cultural consequences of the technology and to make qualified inputs to the design process and assessment of the technology.
Specifically, the post doctoral researcher will be expected to do ethnographic fieldwork in one of the Danish Municipalities with special focus on the election processes, including the current ritual and organization of the election and the wider organizational, cultural and democratic context in which the electoral process is embedded.
Postdoctoral candidates should have a Ph.D. in Social Science, an established research record, and experience with doing qualitative research in one or more of the following fields:
- Science and technology studies (STS)
- democracy and science
- electronic voting systems (of primary importance)
- democratic governance
- IT-governance
- genealogy of democracy and technology
- political technologies
- public understanding of science
- trust in information
General information
The IT University of Copenhagen (ITU) is a teaching and research-based tertiary institution concerned with information technology (IT) and the opportunities it offers. The IT University has more than 50 faculty members. Research and teaching in information technology span all academic activities which involve computers including computer science, information and media sciences, humanities and social sciences, business impact and the commercialisation of IT.
Salary
Appointment and salary will be in accordance with the Ministry of Finance’s agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).
Post Doct in Social Science at The IT University of Copenhagen
