Postdoctoral Researcher Position in Business Power, Wage Inequality, and Climate Change Regulation

The Employment Relations Research Centre (FAOS) at the Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, invites applications for a fixed-term postdoctoral researcher position (2 years) starting 1 October 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

This position is part of the BIZPOWER (Business Power in the Politics of Wage Inequality and Climate Change) project, which investigates how businesses use self-regulation (S-R) to influence public policy and pre-empt statutory regulation. The postdoctoral researcher will primarily contribute to Work Package 2 (WP2) and Work Package 3 (WP3), which focus on comparative case studies of how businesses engage in regulatory strategies in Denmark and Germany. The postdoctoral research will focus mainly on Germany.

The project is led by Associate Professor Christian Lyhne Ibsen (PI) and is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark. The research team consists of another postdoctoral researcher who will conduct survey experiments (WP1) and the PI.

Job Description

In a context of multiple global crises–COVID-19, increased inequality, and climate change–citizens are looking to political leaders and the state to solve problems and protect them. The increased role of the state might fundamentally change the conditions under which business operates around the world.

This project investigates how business actors manage the regulatory challenge in two of the most pressing structural transformations in the 21st century – the rising inequality and climate change. It poses the following research question: Under what conditions can business be powerful in the high-salience politics of wage inequality and carbon emissions?

Specifically, the postdoctoral researcher will investigate how businesses in Denmark and Germany have historically influenced wage policies and climate regulations through self-regulation, lobbying, and coalition-building.

Key Tasks:

• Conduct comparative case studies of business self-regulation in wage policy (WP2) and climate policy (WP3) in Germany.
• Utilize process-tracing methodologies to analyse how business actors attempt to influence policymaking and public opinion.
• Gather and analyse archival data, media sources, policy documents, and corporate reports to reconstruct historical decision-making processes.
• Conduct and analyse elite interviews with business leaders, policymakers, trade unions, and environmental organizations.
• Compare cross-national and cross-policy variations in how businesses preempt regulatory challenges.
• Write academic articles based on findings for submission to top political science and sociology journals.
• Present findings at international conferences (e.g., APSA, EPSA, SASE, CES).

This position is ideal for a researcher with a strong background in comparative political economy, business-government relations, and regulatory politics.

The postdoctoral researcher position is a full-time research position and does not involve any teaching obligations.

For further information, including more details on BIZPOWER, please contact Associate Professor Christian Lyhne Ibsen at cli@faos.dk.

Qualifications

We seek candidates with the following qualifications:

• A PhD in Political Science, Sociology, Political History, or a related field (completed or near completion).
• Expertise in qualitative research methods, particularly process-tracing, elite interviews, and comparative case study analysis.
• Strong knowledge of business power, regulatory governance, and political economy.
• Experience working with policy documents, archival research, and media analysis.
• Ability to conduct interviews with high-level stakeholders (e.g., business associations, policymakers, trade unions, and NGOs).
• Fluency in German and English is required; proficiency in Danish is desirable but not a requirement.

Work Environment & Research Team

The postdoctoral researcher will work closely with Associate Professor Christian Lyhne Ibsen, another postdoc and an international advisory board, including leading scholars from Harvard University, MIT, Boston University, University of Konstanz, and Stanford University.

The University of Copenhagen provides a dynamic interdisciplinary research environment, offering access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure for qualitative and comparative political research.

The project will provide opportunities for collaboration on high-impact publications, networking with leading experts in business power and public policy, and participation in international research events.

Application Process

Applicants should submit the following documents:

• Cover Letter detailing research interests and fit for the project.
• CV including a list of publications.
• Research Statement (max. 2 pages) outlining past experience and future research agenda.
• Two Writing Samples (published papers or dissertation chapters).

Terms of Employment

Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne). The salary range starts at DKK approx. 38,700 per month + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.