SCHOLARSHIP IN NCN OPUS PROJECT DEMRES The Effectiveness of Discursive Strategies of Democratic Backsliding and Democratic Resilience

Institute of Political Studies Polish Academy of Sciences

Organisation/Company Institute of Political Studies Polish Academy of Sciences Department Department of Studies of Elites and Political Institutions Research Field Sociology Political sciences Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Other Positions Application Deadline 20 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Warsaw) Country Poland Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Other Job Status Extra Information scholarship Offer Starting Date 18 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

JOB DESCRIPTION:

• conducting research under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, prof. Agnieszka Kwiatkowska;
• participation in the collection of data covering the framing of democracy in public discourse in Europe;
• quantitative text analysis and interpretation;
• participation in the creation of a public database on discourse on democracy;
• participation in preparing scenarios for IDIs and FGIs;
• leading role in survey preparation;
• participation in data analysis and interpretation;
• participation in dissemination activities, including conference presentations, preparation of scientific articles and a book, responsible for press releases and social media content.

Information about the project

The main objective of DEMRES is to identify and analyze the key narratives of democratic backsliding and democratic resilience used by anti-democratic and pro-democratic political actors, as well as to assess the responsiveness of key target groups to these narratives and their mobilizing potential in elections. The project aims to create a unique knowledge base on how populist challenges reshape contemporary democracies. By combining advanced analysis of political texts with qualitative and quantitative research, the project examines how political language can contribute either to democratic erosion or to democratic resilience.

Research questions

• Which narratives are used to legitimize democratic backsliding, and which are used to defend democracy?
• How do these narratives vary between political actors and across changing political contexts?
• Which social and political groups are most responsive to particular backsliding and resilience narratives?
• Under what conditions can these narratives shape political attitudes, electoral choices and political mobilization?

Requirements

Research Field Sociology Education Level Undergraduate

Research Field Sociology Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Research Field Sociology Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field Political sciences Education Level Undergraduate

Research Field Political sciences Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Research Field Political sciences Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

• BA or MA in Sociology, Political Science or a related discipline;
• experience in preparing scientific publications and disseminating research findings at national and international conferences;
• very good command of English, spoken and written, enabling scientific publication in English.

Specific Requirements

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS:

• data analysis skills, including up-to-date knowledge about quantitative data analysis, including analysis of survey experiments;
• knowledge of quantitative text analysis and natural language processing or willingness to learn;
• experience in preparing scientific publications and disseminating research findings at national and international conferences;
• proven track record of publications and/or research expertise in democracy studies or a related field.

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Internal Application form(s) needed

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• the position is planned for 48 months;
• remote work and participation in regular team meetings.

In accordance with the NCN Regulations on the allocation of funding for research projects financed by the National Science Centre (NCN), the remuneration amount may be increased by an additional PLN 1.500 gross/month for each doctoral student who will receive a doctoral scholarship after the month in which their mid-term evaluation is conducted.

REMUNERATION: 5.000,00 PLN gross/month

Eligibility criteria

FORMAL REQUIREMENTS:

• NCN scholarships may be awarded to individuals who are not PhD holders and meet any of the following terms:
• a) be students of full-time first or second-cycle degree programmes or uniform Master's studies at any university in Poland;
• b) pa