Vacancy: PhD Institutional Change in the Organization of Care in the Netherlands (Utrecht University)
The Department of History and Art History of Utrecht University is looking for a PhD Candidate Institutional Change in the Organization of Care in the Netherlands.
This PhD-project explores how various forms of care arrangements have interacted and changed over time in the Netherlands during the long 20th century, and studies the reasons behind these developments. It adopts an institutional lens that emphasizes the dynamic relationships among families, for example, the gendered division of care within households, local communities, organizations, and the state in the provision of care.
Your job
Care institutions—whether informal or (semi-) formal—do not evolve in isolation; rather, they continuously influence one another. Yet relatively little is known about how these institutions have co-evolved—that is, whether they have changed in complementary or divergent ways over time, and if so, why. This project, therefore, examines the dynamic interactions among care institutions within the broader historical trajectories of changing norms (e.g., regarding gender norms related to care and work), political ideologies (concerning government responsibility for care provision), economic conditions (such as privatization, costs of care), and demographic trends as potential explanations behind this change. It examines why certain actors— namely, families, local initiatives (e.g., citizen-based initiatives, associations, municipalities), private initiatives (entrepreneurs, market-based solutions) and the state—have gained prominence in care provision while others have declined over time, and how their respective trajectories have influenced one another. The project integrates insights from history and sociology by engaging with institutional theories from both disciplines, including institutional sociology, historical institutionalism and new institutional economics and will use a mixed-methods approach.
Your qualities
- a MA/MSc degree in a discipline(s) relevant for the project ((economic) history or sociology); interest in, and ideally some familiarity with, the second discipline (history or sociology);
- interest in the topic of social cohesion and in collaborating in a broad research consortium with academic and non-academic stakeholders;
- strong interest in interdisciplinary research, including analytic and theoretical dimensions;
- someone with a desire to play an active role in an inter- and transdisciplinary research community and training programme;
- professional command of both English and Dutch;
- demonstrated skills in quantitative and qualitative research methods, or—where experience in one is limited—clear willingness and commitment to develop working knowledge;
- a solid academic record, as evidenced by grade transcripts and relevant coursework;
- strong motivation to publish articles in international academic journals.
The application deadline is: 1 April 2026
For more information about this vacancy and how to apply, please visit this website.
