PhD Legitimacy of nudging in public health

Location	Wageningen
Scientific field	Behavior and Society
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We are looking for

The Welfare Improvement through Nudging Knowledge (WINK) research program examines the effectiveness, legitimacy, and feasibility of nudges as a promising and innovative approach to public health and welfare. ‘Nudging’ translates insights from behavioural research on decision-making to policy-relevant individual choices in order to gently suggest desired choices without infringing upon autonomy of individuals. The program entails three projects, addressing (1) the effectiveness of nudges in complex contexts; (2) the legitimacy of nudges in public health policy; (3) the feasibility of nudges as a novel way of governing welfare choices.

The program is subsidised by NWO TOP and will be carried out at two universities (Utrecht University and Wageningen University and Research Centre) by the WINK consortium.

The project “Legitimacy of nudging in public health”  will be conducted at the section Communication, Philosophy, and Technology: Centre for Integrative Development within Department of Social Sciences at Wageningen University. The project combines normative-philosophical analysis with quantitative (experiments) and qualitative (focus groups) empirical studies to investigate 1) to what extent different nudging strategies affect individual autonomy and perceptions of freedom of choice and  2) whether nudging is considered acceptable or even morally required to influence people’s choice in such a way that health risks will decrease.

Your tasks will consist of:

• Literature study of ethics and psychology of nudging
• Designing, coordinating, conducting and analysing experimental studies with citizens
• Designing, coordinating,  conducting, and analysing focus groups with stakeholders and citizens
• Conducting normative-philosophical analyses on nudging for public health purposes
• Writing scientific papers for peer-reviewed journals resulting in a dissertation
• Presenting at national and international scientific conferences
• Participating in regular project team meetings with all partners to ensure project alignment
• Limited teaching tasks

We ask

• Completed academic/research master in Social Sciences (Psychology, Health Sciences) and/or Philosophy (Ethics)
• Knowledge and experience in areas of normative-philosophical analysis, experimental research methods, and/or focus groups
• Affinity with scientific research in the domain of public health and health promotion
• Interest in multidisciplinary research
• Good command of English language
• Academic writing skills

We offer

We offer you fulltime employment (38 hours a week) for 18 months with a possible extension of 30 months after positive evaluation. The gross salary is € 2.083,- per month in the first year and increases to € 2.664,- per month in the fourth year. (based on fulltime employment). In addition, we offer a holiday bonus of 8% and an end-of-the-year bonus of 8.3% of your annual salary.

Starting date: 1st September, 2014. Interviews rounds are planned for 11, 15 and 17 July.

More information

Additional information can be obtained from:
Dr. Emely de Vet (tel.:+31(0)317486146): emely.devet@wur.nl
Prof. dr. Marcel Verweij (tel.: +31(0)317484310): email:marcel.verweij@wur.nl

How to apply
You can apply till July 3, 2014. Please don't email directly to the persons mentioned above, but use the website to apply and upload a motivation letter, references and your CV (including course grades).

We are

Wageningen University and Research Centre
Delivering a substantial contribution to the quality of life. That's our focus – each and every day. Within our domain, healthy food and living environment, we search for answers to issues affecting society – such as sustainable food production, climate change and alternative energy. Of course, we don’t do this alone. Every day, 6,500 people work on ‘the quality of life’, turning ideas into reality, on a global scale.

Could you be one of these people? We give you the space you need.