Disability Rights Expanding Accessible Markets Appointment of two PhD Early Stage Researchers (Marie Curie Fellows) (Full time, fixed term for three years, tenable from 1 September 2011) NOVA Norwegian Social Research Institute is seeking to recruit two Early Stage Researchers (Marie Curie Fellows) as of 1 September 2011. The two Early Stage Researchers will be recruited within the framework of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network DREAM – Disability Rights Expanding Accessible Markets. The two Early Stage Researchers will receive supervision for the preparation of a PhD thesis and benefit from the combined resources of the DREAM Network. Description of DREAM Research within the DREAM ITN Network focuses on how the rights contained in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities can be transformed into practical applications. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD, 2006) imposes legal obligations on States Parties to promote and achieve accessibility across the board for people with disabilities. This includes areas as diverse as access to Information and Communications Technologies and consumer goods and services more generally, access to employment, having legal capacity to act and take decisions, and access to independent living. Accessibility can be achieved through a variety of means, ranging from ensuring goods and services meet Design for All requirements, reasonable accommodation, non-­‐discrimination, and inclusive social and economic policies and legislation. All Member States of the EU and the EEA have signed the Convention, as has the European Union, and all have ratified or concluded the Convention, or are committed to doing so. The DREAM ITN Network consists of the National University of Ireland, Galway, Technosite (Spain), Maastricht University (Netherlands), University of Leeds (UK), NOVA Norwegian Social Research Institute, the University of Iceland and the Swiss Paraplegic Research. In addition, the Network consists of eight associated partners such as leading civil society groups into which the researchers will spend some of their time. These include the European Disability Forum, Interights, Mental Disability Advocacy Centre and the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions and Digital Europe. Altogether 14 Early Stage Researchers (PhD researchers) will be recruited, two of which will be based at NOVA Norwegian Social Research Institute. The DREAM ITN Network offers a unique, research environment where leading academics will integrate accepted applicants into their research teams. We will provide a structured training programme. Academic partners within the DREAM ITN Network will support the researchers to work successfully towards a PhD defence at one of the universities in the Network (Leeds, Maastricht or Galway).. More information on the DREAM ITN Network can be found at: www.nuigalway.ie/dream State policies and market actors The UN Convention places obligations on states to protect and promote disabled people’s rights and equality in all areas of life. These include areas with significant implications for social policy. The Convention challenges the frameworks and benchmarks that have been used to monitor and evaluate social policies in European countries in the past. This is not simply about legislation and mechanisms of enforcement but also about understanding practical implementation and evaluating what works. Understanding best practice, and how to evaluate it, are also essential for the private and public sector in their roles as employers and as providers of goods and services. In both roles there are perceived tensions between (a) compliance with legislation and good practice in non-­‐
discrimination and reasonable accommodation, and (b) productivity and competitiveness. These tensions are potentially more marked for the private sector, and where there is also evidence of historic resistance to greater state intervention and regulation. A key challenge for social policy is to understand what works in facilitating private sector engagement in providing equal opportunities to disabled people as employees and customers, and beyond mere legal compliance. The two early stage researchers hosted at NOVA Norwegian Social Research institute will address two key challenges for social policy in its interaction with employers and providers of goods and services. Toward Economic Independence: Corporate Culture and inclusion into the Workforce (Vacancy One) The real foundation for choice and independent living is economic independence. Securing employment for persons with disabilities remains a challenge in Europe. Employment is largely a competency for the Member States. The EU has competence with respect to non-­‐discrimination in employment. In addition the European Employment Strategy (an Open Method of Coordination) seeks to coordinate national employment strategies. A ‘Study of the Compilation of the Disability Data from the Administrative Registers of the EU Member States’ (2008) shows that disabled people of working age in European countries remain a significant proportion of the unemployed or inactive. The right to employment (Article 27 CRPD) requires a web of active labour market policies to convert it into a reality. Researcher 1 will focus on the implementation of policies supporting employment for disabled people in the open labour market. Article 27 of the Convention makes the states’ responsibilities clear, to prohibit discrimination in recruitment, employment, career advancement and working conditions; to protect equal opportunities and to ensure access to guidance and training. Researcher 1 will examine how/whether a positive corporate culture has assisted in enhancing the employment rate of persons with disabilities, and explore some of the critical success factors that can enable a positive corporate culture on disability to be spread throughout Europe. Researcher 1 will negotiate access to and compare the recruitment and manpower policy of 2-­‐3 international enterprises, preferably with offices in several of the countries in the present ITN. To limit variance, the project compares the same company in 2-­‐4 countries. Researcher 1 will seek access to a small number of enterprises where the top management have committed themselves to inclusion of persons with disabilities as part of their corporate social responsibility policy, and together with key personnel in these enterprises map and analyze how this commitment is translated into corporate practices of human resource management. Researcher 1 will interview a limited number of staff in the public agencies responsible for the implementation of social protection and inclusion policy. Researcher 1 will produce a major publication of European level significance on the interaction between corporate culture and disability in enhancing employment prospects. Researcher 1 will contribute to the research in DIGITALEUROPE on corporate culture and disability. Researcher 1 will have an internship at the Burton Blatt Institute (Syracuse University, USA), DIGITALEUROPE (Belgium) or Technosite (Spain). Place of internship will be decided in agreement between Researcher 1 and the Supervisory Panel. Monitoring the Implementation & Enforcement of eAccessibility law and policy at the Member State level (Vacancy Two) The market-­‐based perspective on disability has been much neglected. The policy default seems to be that persons with disabilities are passive recipients of welfare and public largesse. To the contrary, the CRPD envisions persons with disabilities as citizens both willing and able to take their place in the mainstream – and especially in the market. The market-­‐based perspective aims to enhance the economic independence of persons with disabilities and generate higher levels of economic activity for business. Europe is slowly appreciating the market-­‐based perspective on disability. European business is beginning to appreciate the business case for diversity on the disability ground. This is most pronounced in the European ICT industry (hardware and software). There is now a wealth of EU eAccessibility initiatives: the European Commission's eAccessibility Communication of 2005, the 2006 Ministerial “Riga Declaration” on ICT for an inclusive information society and the Commission’s i2010 initiative "To be part of the information society”, the Commission Staff working paper “Towards a renewed Social Agenda for Europe – Citizens’ Well-­‐being in the Information Society”, the Communication from the European Commission “Towards an accessible information society” and accompanying working documents. Despite the many policy efforts, the level of eAccessibility remains overall quite poor. It is safe to state that, comparing efforts and results, eAccessibility has scored worse than other eInclusion support measures. Advancing eAccessibility remains elusive. Researcher 2 will examine how existing e-­‐accessibility laws and policies are actually implemented in the member states and analyse what ‘next steps’ might be needed to make existing laws enforceable. Researcher 2 will investigate how national policy traditions impact the design, monitoring and enforcement of e-­‐accessibility law and policy in selected countries. Researcher 2 will examine how the national systems for monitoring and enforcement affect the implementation of international, regional and national e-­‐accessibility law and policy. Researcher 2 will survey existing policy documents in a limited number of countries, the EU and internationally (especially UN), and interview a limited number of stakeholder representatives on EU and national level. Researcher 2 will produce a major publication of European level significance on the limits and possibilities of a legislative approach to e-­‐accessibility and the kind of shape it should take at an EU level. Researcher 2 will have an internship at the Burton Blatt Institute (Syracuse University, USA), DIGITALEUROPE (Belgium) or Technosite (Spain). Place of internship will be decided in agreement between Researcher 2 and the Supervisory Panel. About NOVA Norwegian Social Research Institute NOVA Norwegian Social Research institute is one of the largest social research institutes in Norway. The institute conducts research on different aspects of society, welfare provision and social regulation. International projects form a growing and important addition. NOVA Norwegian Social Research institute operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Research. NOVA is an equal opportunity employer and aims to be an accessible working place. More information about NOVA is available at www.nova.no. Salary and Benefits for both Positions Researchers will be appointed on a full-­‐time (37,5 hours per week) temporary contact for a period of three years, including a six-­‐month internship at an organisation which is an associated partner in the DREAM ITN Network. Researchers will be Marie Curie fellows and will profit from all Marie Curie benefits, including living, mobility, travel and career exploratory allowances according to the Marie Curie Framework 7 requirements for Early Stage Researchers (http://ec.europa.eu/mariecurieactions). Annual salary: Salary Grade 49, p.t. NOK 390.600 gross per year according to the Norwegian State Scale of Pay. Two per cent of the salary will have to be paid to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. Eligibility Candidates must be, at the time of recruitment, in the first four years (full-­‐time equivalent) of their research careers and not yet have been awarded a doctoral degree. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which would formally entitle them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided. In practice, this means they should not have obtained any degree before 31 August 2007 that would entitle them to enrol for a doctorate (either in Norway or in their own country). In general, this is usually a suitably qualifying Masters degree. Candidates are normally required to undertake trans-­‐national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up their appointment. At the time of recruitment by the host organisation, candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of their host organisation (i.e. in this case Norway) for more than 12 months between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2011. Applicants for the two positions at NOVA may be a national of any Member State of the European Union, of any Associated Country or of any other third country, but they may not be a national of Norway (in the case of dual nationality they must not have resided in Norway since 1 September 2006. As an exception to the general rule, a researcher holding Norwegian nationality could be considered if he or she can provide evidence testifying that he or she has legally resided and had his or her main activity in a ‘non-­‐associated third country’ for at least three years between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2011 Availability to travel (including internationally), for the purpose of the research and training activities, is a requirement for the two posts. Applications and Enquiries Candidates are invited to apply to one of the two vacancies. Candidates are requested to submit a 10 page project proposal presenting the theoretical framework, research questions, methods and data they want to adopt to examine the subjects to be covered (in English). Candidates are also requested to submit their CV in English (max. 5 pages), max. 10 academic publications (in English or any of the Scandinavian languages [Danish, Norwegian or Swedish]), certificate of proficiency in English (IELTS or TOEFL test) if English is not the mother tongue and copy of university diploma (translated to English). Formal applications should be made through the DREAM consortium and should be sent to: dream@nuigalway.ie (not to NOVA)-­‐ Closing date: 31 May 2011 Final decision will be taken by NOVA in consultation with the DREAM Supervisory Board. Informal enquiries concerning the two positions at NOVA may be made to: Dr Rune Halvorsen (Senior Researcher, rune.halvorsen@nova.no) or Professor Bjørn Hvinden (Head of Research, bjorn.hvinden@nova.no) NOVA Norwegian Social Research Oslo Norway tel: +47 22 54 12 00 e-­‐mail: rune.halvorsen@nova.no / bjorn.hvinden@nova.no www.nova.no