Postdoctoral researcher (Re-contract research programme) Axis 1

ENS; France; Sur place; EUR 36 000 - 48 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

ENS Department Pole Ressources Lettres is seeking a post-doctoral researcher for the Re-Contract program. The project analyzes the social contract and aims to develop innovative, integrative research over three years in dialogue with stakeholders.

The candidate will explore intergenerational social protection, trust in institutions, and the role of public and private actors. A two-year fixed-term contract with remuneration based on pay scale and experience is offered.

Qualifications

• PhD in philosophy, political science or political sociology.
• Interdisciplinary approach and quantitative analysis experience.
• Fluency in English and French.

Responsabilités

• Conduct post-doctoral research focusing on social contract theory within Axis 1 of the Re-Contract program.
• Contribute to the organization of scientific activities and dissemination within the team.

Connaissances

English proficiency

French proficiency

Interdisciplinary approach

Quantitative analysis

Formation

PhD in philosophy / related field

Outils

R

Python

Stata

Description du poste

Organisation/Company ENS Department Pole Ressources Lettres Research Field Philosophy Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 21 Oct 2026 - 12:00 (Europe/Paris) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37h30 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

TheRe-contractresearch program focuses on the idea of the social contract and itsrethinking for our time. It aims, over a three-yearperiod, to develop original, innovative, integrative, and open research, in dialogue with non-academic stakeholders.Re-Contractseeks to embeditsreflection in a contemporarycontextthatappears to contradictitsveryproject. Indeed, characterized as an era of loss of common values and the foundations of living together—an anxious, conflict-ridden time marked by the proliferation of risks, particularlysystemicones—thiscontextseemsill-suited for projectingtoward the future, whetherindividually or collectively. Instead, itembodies an era of "polycrisis."

What levers for action can weidentify and implement to recreate a sharednarrative? How can we regain the individual and collective capacity to projectourselvesinto the future, a capacity essential for fuelingpresent action with the perspective of a shareddestiny?These are questions many are asking, yetthere are no obviousanswers.

Re-Contracthypothesesthat the concept of the social contractprovides a framework for addressingthese questions. If not to produceanswers—whichbelong to collective decision-making,it can at least help identify the stakes, the lines of bifurcation and choice, the sticking points, and the obstacles.

In particular,Re-Contractwill focus on what tests the bond of trust, whichisfundamental to the social contract: trust amongcitizens, in institutions (in the broadestsense), and in public and privategovernanceactors. Indeed, all the systemicrisksidentified to date relate to factorsthatweaken collective life. However, not all equallyundermineindividual and collective commitment to a commonpoliticalproject. Furthermore, thiscommitmentalso relies, in a context of intertwined crises of various natures, on a shared vision of whatneeds to beprotected, preserved, and upheld—a common culture in terms of risk and danger perception. This is all the more true if the principle of preventioncomes to structure risk management. The Re-Contractprojectwilltherefore focus in particular on the challenge of developing a sharedunderstanding of invisible risks.
This post-doctoralresearchfallsunder the first axis of the project, whichfocuses on analyzing key elementsthatshape, strengthen, or converselyweaken trust in interpersonalrelationships, in an individual'srelationshipwith the collective, and in the relationshipbetweencitizens and institutions.

Among theseelementsis the key issue of intergenerational social protection and lifelong support. Indeed, variousfactorstodayappear to challenge the social protection model we know: in France, for example, demographic changes (aging population, recentlyobserveddecline in birth rates); evolvinghealthneeds and the relative inadequacy of currenthealthpolicies and healthcaresystems, particularly in light of the rise in chronicdiseases, the necessarystrengthening of prevention efforts, or the possible resurgence of epidemics; socio-economicinequalities and differingcapacities to access protection; changes in the state’sroleregardingits social protection mission and long-term action; and the emergence of new risks, includingthoselinked to evolvingforms of work, geopoliticalcontexts, and global changes such as climate change.

This post-doctoralresearchfocuses on how citizensenvisionintergenerational social protection in political and normative terms—understood as a goal to pursue, a "value," or whatisconceived as "just," "desirable," or "good," not only for themselves but also in the generalinterest.

The term "social protection" isunderstoodhere in a broadsense—covering not only assistance measures for the poorest and thosewho are not working, but also support during key moments of human life (early life, childhood and adolescence, oldage, and end of life) or in the face of all kinds of risks and accidents, fromworkplace accidents to "naturaldisasters," including the "new social risks" linked to changes in work organisation and familylife's patterns (P. Taylor-Gooby).

This researchcomplementsstudies on the explanation of distrust or trust linked to individuals' socio-economic conditions, theirsociallydifferentiatedability to make institutions work to theiradvantage, and the sentiments—particularlyresentment thatmaybeassociatedwith (non-)recourse to key social protection institutions.

The aim of thispost-doctoralresearchis to shed light on the forms of social protection thatcitizensconsider "desirable," "just," or "good." Whatshouldthey cover, and whatshouldtheyexclude? If, in theirview, theseforms of protection shouldinvolve a kind of pooling of resources and redistribution, whichactorsshouldorganize and/or implementthem—the state, the non-profit sector, or the insurancesector?What coordination and distribution of rolesbetweentheseactorsdo theyfinddesirable?What, in theirview, shouldfallunder the generalinterest and the privatedomain? In short, thispost-doctoralresearchwill explore whatcitizenstodaywant to "protect" and the extent to whichtheir trust in a commonsocietalprojectincludesthis protection mission, as well as how theyconceive the modalities and financing of thisbroadlyunderstoodintergenerational social protection.

This workwillbeconductedfrom a comparative perspective at the Europeanlevel. Methodologically, itwilldraw on data fromEuropeansurveys, notably the European Social Survey (ESS), the European Values Study, and the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), to understand how a normative political stance on social protection isformed in the contemporarycontext. This stance islinked to how individualsassesstheirownneeds and the needs of others, as well as theirenvironment (in the broad, multidimensionalsense of a living context), both for themselves and for others, alongwith the risks—old, new, probable, or certain thatthisenvironment entails.

• Researchactivitieswithin Axis 1 (seedetailsabove)
• Contribution to the organization of the scientific animation of the Re-Contractresearch program

A researchenvironmentwillbeprovided for the recruitedpost-doctoralresearcher

2-year fixed-term contract – Remuneration based on pay scale and experience

Requirements

Research Field Philosophy Education Level PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

• Candidatesmust hold a PhD in one of the relevant disciplines for the expectedresearchtheme (philosophy, political science, politicalsociology), defended at least one yearbefore the publication date of this position but no more than 5 yearsago. Beyond the degree, an aptitude for interdisciplinaryapproachesisexpected. Profiles inpoliticalsociologyorpolitical sciencewithskills inquantitative analysisand an interest inpoliticaltheory, or inappliedphilosophywithproficiency inquantitative data analysis, willbegivenpriority.
• An interest in developing doctoral researchbased on the international state of the art, as well as an ability to workwithin a multidisciplinaryproject, wouldbe an advantage.
• Fluency in English isalsorequired.

Specific Requirements

• Proficiency inintermediatestatisticalanalysismethods(e.g., regressions) and, if possible,advancedmethods(e.g., hierarchicalmodels, GLM, etc.).
• Proficiency in at least onestatisticalanalysis software or programminglanguage(R, Python, Stata).
• Experience incomparative analysis.
• Ability to integrateinto a project-relatedwork team
• Ability to interactwithacademic stakeholders in France and internationally
• Autonomy and initiative
• Ability in workorganization and long-term follow-up of researchthrough to publication and dissemination

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Languages FRENCH Level Excellent

Additional Information

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must hold a PhD in philosophy, defended at least one yearbefore the publication date of this position but no more than 5 yearsago.