Non-Western (Islamic) Public Administration and Public Value

The overall goal of the project is to examine the perspectives of contemporary and/or historical Islamic institutions undertaking polycentric governance and administration and creating public value to better the lives of their constituents and neighbors.

Research field:	Public policy and innovation
Supervisors:	Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Drechsler Dr. Salah Chafik
Availability:	This position is available.
Offered by:	School of Business and Governance Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance
Application deadline:	Applications are accepted between June 01, 2023 00:00 and June 30, 2023 23:59 (Europe/Zurich)

The field of governance, both in policy and in administration, i.e. implementation, encompasses various sciences and traditions to address the demands and challenges of structured human living-together. And there is a growing emphasis in both policy debates and the academic literature on the importance of governance institutions and actors in creating public value – achieving broad and widely accepted societal goals. However, current international standards in this area are largely defined by the dominant Western paradigm at the exclusion of all other religious and cultural traditions – in particular the Islamic.

The goal of this PhD project is therefore to diversify the unidirectional global-Western understanding of governance and administration standards and paradigms, by investigating sometimes centuries-old autonomous indigenous institutions, both historic and/or still operating, across the Islamic world, for which Zawāya and Mahadhir in North and West Africa, Mahalla and Aul in Central Asia, Khanqah in Turkey, and Dargah in South and Southeast Asia are notable examples. More specifically, the doctoral candidate can take one or more of the following approaches: further our theoretical knowledge, contribute critical perspectives, or empirically uncover the perspectives of these otherwise underexplored institutions which craft, coordinate, and deliver public services for and with their constituents for a better life.

 

Responsibilities and (foreseen) tasks:

• Map, explore, and ultimately publish either theory-building contributions, critical perspectives, or case studies of historical/contemporary cooperatives shaping and creating Islamic Public Value
• Collect data via desk research, participatory fieldwork, and/or interviews
• Contribute to the organization of research and practitioner workshops where project findings are presented

 

Applicants should fulfil the following requirements:

• a master’s degree or equivalent (preferably in the social sciences e.g. public administration, political science, or economics, or relevant humanities)
• a clear interest in the topic of the position
• excellent command of English
• strong and demonstrable writing and analytical skills
• capacity to work both as an independent researcher and as part of an international team
• capacity and willingness to provide assistance in organizational tasks relevant to the project

 

The following experience is beneficial:

• Knowledge of the local languages of area studies
• Familiarity with relevant Islamic texts and traditions

The candidate should submit a research plan for the topic, including the overall research, regional focus, and data collection strategy. The candidate can expand on the listed research questions and tasks, and propose theoretical lenses to be used.

 

We offer:

• 4-year PhD position in one of the largest, most internationalized and leading social science research centers in Estonia with a large portfolio of ongoing pan-European and national public administration, digital governance and innovation studies projects
• Joining a small but dynamic and very reputable research teams on Non-Western PA, as well as a project community focused on Islamic PA featuring leading thinkers and practitioners
• The chance to do high-level research in one of the more prominent government contexts globally
• Opportunities for conference visits, research stays and networking with globally leading universities and research  centers in the fields of public administration, innovation studies and digital government

 

About the department

The Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance (RND) is an interdisciplinary research center of Tallinn University of Technology that focuses on socially relevant and future-oriented research and teaching issues:

• models and practices, including non-Western, of governance and public administration
• fiscal governance and fiscal bureaucracies
• e-governance and digital transformation of societies
• P2P technologies, its governance and potential new production models
• science and innovation policies and its management
• philosophy and ethics of science and technology.

RND is a highly internationalised department and engages some of the top international thinkers and researchers in its research fields. Next to a fully English taught PhD degree, it offers a MA degree in Technology Governance and Digital Transformation, and a unique Erasmus Mundus joint MSc programme in Public Sector Innovation and e- Governance in cooperation with KU Leuven (Belgium) and University of Münster (Germany). RND and its staff have coordinated or been involved in a multitude of international research projects with the EU (INTERREG, COST, FP7, H2020), UN (UNDP), OECD (SIGMA), INET, and have participated in various European Commission working groups (the EU's Lisbon Agenda Group, Expert Group on Managing Risks in Public Technology Procurement, Expert Group on Public Sector Innovation). Recently RND initiated a major, 32 MEUR international R&D project on Smart Cities (FinestTwins). RND is also engaged in several international associations, such as the European Master in Public Administration program (EMPA), European Inter-University Association on Society, Science and Technology (ESST), and the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) where RND coordinates the Permanent Study Group on Public Administration, Technology and Innovation.

 

Additional information

For further information, please contact Prof. Ringa Raudla ringa.raudla@taltech.ee, Dr. Salah Chafik schafi@taltech.ee or Prof. Wolfgang Drechsler wolfgang.drechsler@taltech.ee or visit https://www.taltech.ee/en/nurkse