The Canadian Municipal Barometer (CMB) is a major research partnership that brings together academic researchers and non-academic organizations across Canada to understand and improve municipaldemocracy. Our research includes annual surveys of mayors and councillors in 1,000 municipalities, large recurring surveys of the Canadian public, and in-depth qualitative research. Alongside its academic outputs, the partnership will also create numerous outputs for practitioners and the wider public, including the Local Democracy Lab, a new resource for dataaccess and data analysis for community leaders and elected representatives. The CMB postdoc fellow will have access to exceptionally large survey datasets of both political elites and the Canadian public and will have the opportunity to design and implement survey modules for both surveys.

Argument

The Canadian Municipal Barometer (CMB) is a major research partnership that brings together academic researchers and non-academic organizations across Canada to understand and improve municipaldemocracy. Our partnership includes seven universities, five non-governmental organizations and advocacygroups, two government agencies, and academic team members from twenty universities. Our partnership will enable leading research on municipal democracy and representation in four research pillars: diverse representation, elections and voting, multilevel governance, and public policy. Our research includes annual surveys of mayors and councillors in 1,000 municipalities, large recurring surveys of the Canadian public, and in-depth qualitative research. Alongside its academic outputs, the partnership will also create numerous outputs for practitioners and the wider public, including the Local Democracy Lab, a new resource for dataaccess and data analysis for community leaders and elected representatives.

The CMB postdoc fellow will have access to exceptionally large survey datasets of both political elites and the Canadian public and will have the opportunity to design and implement survey modules for both surveys. We also have funding for this postdoc to do qualitative research, attend conferences, and pursue methods training. There will be many opportunities for co-authorship and mentorship from inside and outside the CMB research team. 

The successful candidate will be located at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and will work closely with the Partnership Co-Directors, Sandra Breux (INRS) and Jack Lucas (Calgary), as well as other team members, to carry out the partnership’s research activities. This includes all stages of the research process from research design to data analysis and writing. The postdoctoral fellow will be involved in all aspects of research dissemination including refereed manuscripts and public-facing reports and summaries. Together with the postdoctoral fellow at INRS, the successful candidate will co-lead the Local Democracy Lab, receiving requests for data and/or analysis, assessing those requests, and providing data analysis and reports to serve community leaders and elected officials. When needed, the postdoctoral fellow will receive assistance from research assistants and other team members in doing this work. The postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to propose questions to be included in the surveys. The postdoctoral fellow will spend approximately 40% of their time on project-related research administration (managing the Local Democracy Lab, mentoring trainees, preparing reports, programming surveys, etc.), 40% of their time on project-related academic research (data analysis, manuscript preparation, research presentations), with the remaining 20% of their time reserved for personal research projects and career development.

Summary of Key Responsibilities

• Assisting with design and implementation of CMB research
• Data management and analysis, including data quality checks, basic and advanced statistical analyses in Stata and/or R, and preparing figures and tables
• Writing, editing, and preparing manuscripts for publication
• Customized data analysis, writing, and reporting for the Local Democracy Lab
• Mentorship to other trainees, including participation in workshops and discussion groups

Qualifications

• PhD in political science, ideally with substantive knowledge of political representation, local and urban politics, elite political behaviour, and/or public opinion.
• Strong quantitative research skills, including statistical analysis in Stata/R. Experience with survey data collection and analysis would be an asset. Qualitative research methods also an asset.
• Demonstrated English language proficiency. Knowledge of French is an asset.
• Ability to work independently in a research seang.

Application Details

Candidates should send application materials to Jack Lucas (jack.lucas@ucalgary.ca)

by May 31, 2024.

Applications should include the following:

• A cover letter, including a discussion of how the candidate’s research interests and experiences
• are suited to this opportunity;
• An up-to-date CV;
• one research sample, such as an article, job market paper, or dissertation chapter;
• a list of two individuals who would be willing to write letters of reference.

Please submit your material in a single PDF file. Applicants who do not yet hold a PhD should provide evidence that their PhD will be completed by the anticipated start date of the postdoctoral fellowship.