PhD Governing Water and Sanitation in Uganda: a local-to-global study

"Governing synergies and trade-offs with SDG6 in Uganda: a local to global study of water and sanitation provision in Uganda"

Together with another PhD candidate, you will study the role of governance mechanisms for cross-level and cross-sector alignment in addressing trade-offs and creating synergies between SDGs in Water and Sanitation policies and projects in Uganda. This PhD project takes a local-to-global approach, starting from the actions of local and national actors, to trace how their role in governing SDG interactions shapes, and is shaped by, international actors (paying relatively more attention to the mechanisms of donor–recipient alignment and public–private alignment).

The focus in this PhD project is on water and sanitation (SDG6) and their interactions with health (SDG3), energy (SDG7), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), and food security (SDG2) in informal settlements. The water and sanitation sector has been dominating the international aid and development agendas for a long time in Uganda. Taking water and sanitation as a starting point may unravel vulnerabilities around access to other basic resources like energy and food. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, this case will be studied from a ‘local to global’ perspective’. In parallel one other PhD candidate will cover the ‘global to local’ perspective in Uganda and both PhD candidates will be supported by a Postdoc and 3 supervisors.

The research problem addressed is the lack of alignment in multiple SDG governance between public and private parties; donors, other donors and recipients, and between governmental departments. The project will investigate alignment mechanisms between public and private actors at different governance levels, in the context of a shared system of rules, recognised by the international development community. The key question is how mechanisms of cross-level and cross-sector alignment enable development actors to address trade-offs and build synergies between SDG6 and other SDGs in Uganda?

We ask

A higher education degree equivalent to a European MSc degree
Academic background in environmental sciences, policy and governance studies
Proficiency in the English language
Strong academic research and writing skills
Proven track record of academic achievement in courses and thesis work
Experience with social scientific research methods such as interviews and document analysis
Affinity with water and sanitation issues in an international development context
Familiarity with the case study context and local language(s) is an advantage

We offer

A four year fully funded PhD position at MakSPH, a leading environmental health institute in Kampala, Uganda.
Enrollment in the PhD programme of the Wageningen School of Social Sciences at Wageningen University, including PhD courses, library access and ICT services
Supervision by experts in the field at the Wageningen Center of Sustainability Governance
Three research stays of 6 months at Wageningen University, including a living allowance on top of the MakSPH remuneration
The opportunity to develop and graduate as a researcher, supported by a vibrant international community of researchers and stakeholders linked to the “Governing SDG interactions” project

The selected PhD candidate will be appointed for a 4-year PhD position at Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in Uganda and registered for the PhD Programme at Wageningen University (The Netherlands). Supervision will be provided by Prof. Simon Bush and dr. Bas van Vliet from the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University, and Dr. Richard K. Mugambe from MakSPH.

How to apply

Applications should consist of the following: (1) A cover letter addressed to the PhD supervisors, explaining your capability and motivation for undertaking the PhD research project (maximum 2 pages); (2) A resume, including full higher education and occupational trajectory (maximum 3 pages); (3) A concept note on how you would design the research project (maximum 1 page); and (4) Certified academic certificates and transcripts.

If you apply for more than one of the PhD positions, please indicate this clearly in your cover letter.

Applications should be sent to Wageningen University at sdgs@wur.nl and to Makerere University at rmugambe@musph.ac.ug.

Applications need to be in by Friday 28 January 2022. Interviews are planned for Wednesday Thursday 23 February 2022. The intended starting date for the PhD position is 1 June 2022.

More information

For questions on the larger “Governing SDG interactions“ project, contact Art Dewulf (art.dewulf@wur.nl). For questions on this PhD position, For questions on this PhD position, contact Bas van Vliet (bas.vanvliet@wur.nl) or Richard Mugambe (rmugambe@musph.ac.ug).

Contact dr.ir. BJM (Bas) van Vliet

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Contact prof.dr. SR (Simon) Bush

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Job advert for PhD position in the “Governing SDG interactions” project (PhD project code: PhDUg1)

The PhD position is part of the larger “Governing SDG interactions” project, which aims to support inclusive and effective SDG implementation in East Africa by investigating how SDG interactions can be better governed across sectors and levels. This project will analyze how governance mechanisms for cross-level and cross-sector alignment (including inter-departmental alignment, donor–recipient alignment, inter-donor alignment, and public–private alignment) can transform a fragmented SDG governance context into an inclusive and effective polycentric governance system that allows trade-offs to be addressed and synergies to be built between SDGs.

As part of the position, the PhD candidate will spend about 18 months at Wageningen University. The first six months of the PhD trajectory are dedicated to training and writing the research proposal at Wageningen University, with the expectation that PhD candidate contributes significantly to shaping the theoretical framework, research questions and research design for the project.