Aalborg University PhD Scholarship for Danish and International Students, 2015

Centre for Comparative Welfare Studies announces a PhD scholarship in cooperation with the Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research. The PhD project should focus on investment in childcare and the formation of human capital and apply a comparative perspective that both include Western countries and China.
In Western countries, especially within the European Union, there has been a renewed focus on the importance of investment in childcare services. Thus, to a larger and larger extent it is emphasized that pre-school is crucial for human capital formation. Therefore the pre-school phase is also crucial for establishing equal life chances across gender, classes and ethnic groups. In a Western context, the Nordic countries have been frontrunners in this effort to establish high quality childcare facilities. Through tax-financed services such as health visitors, GPs and public kindergartens this area has be institutionalized. And the services have been supported by a decentralized administration within municipalities and a national educational system that has established various childcare professions. The Chinese childcare facilities are still in the making. The PhD project should contribute to the international literature on how to organize and implement public investment in childcare. Added value will be a comparative perspective that both include economic developed and less developed societies. The Chinese context provides an excellent opportunity to study the effect from childcare investment, e.g. through evaluations of new Chinese initiatives or even randomized experiments. And the Nordic context, with more than three decades of experience, provides an excellent opportunity to study how these childcare services can be effectively administrated and implemented; knowledge that could be of crucial importance for the Chinese development.

Scholarship Provider/ Funding Agency

Center for Comparative Welfare Studies (CCWS) at Aalborg University and Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Denmark

Study Area

The PhD project should focus on investment in childcare and the formation of human capital and apply a comparative perspective that both include Western countries and China.

Scholarship open for

Danish and International Applicants

Scholarship Level

PhD

Eligibility

The PhD scholarship has a duration of three years. Applicants to the PhD scholarship must hold a degree equivalent to a Danish Master’s degree. Applicants enrolled at a Danish Master programme who expect to graduate before the date of appointment must forward a copy of their thesis contract and documentation for the date of their final exam.

The completion of the scholarship will be in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities No 1039 of 27 August 2013, and it is a prerequisite for allocation of a scholarship that enrolment as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences takes place.

Application requirements:

• letter of motivation
• project proposal (approx. 5 pages) containing the research project title, an outline of the course of study and a description of the overall problem areas
• information on which language the PhD thesis is expected to be written in
• curriculum vitae
• diplomas confirming academic degrees (Master degree), including academic transcripts
• foreign applicants must forward verified IELTS test (International English Language Testing System). Exempted are applicants with at Master Degree from Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and Canada
• Co-author statement. If publications that have been written in cooperation with others are submitted, a declaration from each of the authors must be enclosed. The declaration must state the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the total work and be signed by the authors.
• Application for credit transfer if relevant.

Scholarship Duration

The PhD scholarship has duration of three years. In the three year period, the PhD student will be located (minimum) 12 month in Beijing, hosted by professor Linxiu Zhang at the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, and at Aalborg University

Coverage/Scholarship Benefits

The travel and accommodation costs will be covered. Appointment and salary in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities No 242 of 13 March 2012 and The Ministry of Finance Circular concerning the job structure for academic staff at universities of 13 June 2007. Salary will be in accordance with the agreements in force.

Application Method

Online

Deadline

10 September, 2015.

Click here for further official scholarship information and Application