The research group "European Civil Society and Multilevel Governance" offers four PhD fellowships:The research group "European Civil Society and Multilevel Governance" at the Department for Political Science at MuensterUniversity is offering - subject to the approval of funding from the provincial government of North Rhine-Westphalia - four PhDfellowships. The fellowships will begin March 1, 2007 and last for a maximum of two and a half years without the possibility ofextension. The group is supervised by Dr. Matthias Freise in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Annette Zimmer under the researchtopic "Civil Society and Democracy" and is a part of the Graduate School of Politics (GraSP) at the Department for Political Science at Muenster University.The research will be based on the results of the first cohort of PhD students (September 2004 to February 2007).The fellowship provides a stipend of 1,100 Euro per month, with an additional 200 Euro per month for travel and research costs. In addition, office space and necessary equipment will be made available.The scholarships are funded by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.The aim of the research group is to contribute to a better understanding of European policy tools and to develop proposals foroptimising the efficiency and effectiveness of European multilevel governance.Furthermore, the research group seeks to analyse the challenges and opportunities of civil society organisations in European structures of governance in the context of democracy theory.The group's three leading research questions are:How do civil society organisations in different European countries make governing in certain policy fields more effective andefficient?What do civil society organisations contribute to social, cultural and leisure time services in the context of Europeanization?In European comparison and at the organizational level, what risks and opportunities result from the inclusion of civil societyorganisations in new concepts of governance?A prerequisite for participation in the group is acceptance as a doctoral candidate according to German university standards. Women are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants should have a good or very good score on their pre-dissertation work in a social science discipline (preferably political science or sociology) and adequate knowledge of European studies and studies of the third sector and civil society. They should be experienced in the methodology of social sciences research.Solid knowledge of SPSS and first-hand experience with data collection are advantages. Good German and English language abilities are required.Completion of internships in EU institutions or European umbrella organizations is desired.The dissertations must be written in English and can be published - providing they are of appropriate quality - in the research group's series at NOMOS publishing house.Due to the intense supervision entailed, the PhD students must reside in Münster from March 2007 on.Please send applications by January 26, 2007 via e-mail to:Dr. Matthias Freise freisem@uni-muenster.de The application materials should include a curriculum vitae or resume and a brief outline of the applicant's research history and special topics of interest, as well as a list of publications, if applicable.Also expected is a short (5 to 10 pages) summary of the dissertation proposal, which should include the scientific state of the art, the research's leading questions, its methodology and its theoretical positioning. The synopsis should be tailored to the group's leading questions as described above. Selection of the scholars will be announced in early February 2007.For additional information, please contact Dr. Freise at telephone number +49 (0)251 - 510 38 22