Description du sujet de thèse

From global climate alerts to local disaster preparedness: stakeholder mobilization and public policy challenges

Fields: Brittany-Normandy-New Aquitaine-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Floods, droughts, changes in terrain, major coastal transformations (land subsidence, cliff collapses) and changes in biodiversity (the salt marshes of Camargue, the vineyards of Bordeaux), the tangible effects of climate change are affecting people's living environments and even the privacy of their homes (housing rendered unsanitary or dangerous) and their economic livelihoods (agricultural, industrial, or commercial). The issues raised by environmentalist “climate” movements and the “yellow vests” have brought social justice and environmental justice to the forefront of political and media agendas.
However, following various so-called “natural” disasters at the local level, it is necessary to analyze the challenges of local public policy and the capacity of different levels of public action to address these new phenomena in a context of tension between the desire to support populations and the challenge of anticipating risks and significant budgetary constraints.
Working closely with the selected sites in three regions, each with their own specific characteristics, the study developed in this doctoral thesis aims to identify the implementation processes with the support of institutional, political, and associative actors, their capacity to implement risk management, and to identify the obstacles to putting the alerting of these risks of climate change effects on the agenda.
Beyond the issues identified, this thesis draws on literature on social movements and the sociology of engagement as well as public policy analysis, seeking to identify the circulation of expertise at work and to open up to questions about the social uses of science and technology. The candidate must develop a strong appetite for the sociology of actors, ethnographic observations, and qualitative and quantitative methods, while also being open to socio-history.
The thesis falls within the field of political science in two subfields: sociology of engagement and mobilization, and public policy analysis, intersecting with the question of instruments, the circulation of knowledge, and their social effects.

Contexte de travail

This call for applications for a doctoral contract is part of an interdisciplinary research environment bringing together scientists from several CNRS institutes. In this context, the research area known as “risk policies in the face of climate change” interacts with both areas of the COCHAIR chair (mentioned below) and must provide a general framework for understanding how science, expertise, and politics in the era of global change relate to the general issue of how climate affects scientific models, the content of expertise, and political decision-making.
The doctoral student will conduct their work within this interdisciplinary dynamic, developing their research within a team of faculty members from various disciplines and contributing to seminars, publications, and outreach to the public.
The collective chairs project (COCHAIR) is a cross-disciplinary project within the PEPR Risques program dedicated to the establishment of four collaborative research chairs to develop a set of cross-disciplinary scientific activities and promote them.
COCHAIR aims to help respond to a set of challenges posed by ongoing global changes that expose human societies to an unprecedented increase in risks and disasters linked in particular to the combined impacts of climate change and human activities. It will enable us to respond to the challenges posed by the intertwining of risks at different scales, to build new tools and frameworks for characterizing these risks and their consequences, and to contribute to the development of policies across the entire risk cycle (assessment, prevention, preparedness, reduction, mitigation, crisis management, reconstruction, and recovery) taking into account changes in natural hazards, the growing impacts of climate change, economic activities, lifestyles, and the many uncertainties that characterize contemporary societies.
Doctoral research will be conducted within a team led by Sylvie Ollitrault, in collaboration with Nestor Heran and Jean-Christophe Komorowski, in an interdisciplinary approach to the subjects of risks, alerts, and the circulation of expertise in the context of climate change and its consequences.
The doctoral research will be co-supervised by Sylvie OLLITRAULT (UMR 7220 ISP) as principal supervisor and Andy SMITH (UMR 5116) as secondary supervisor on the public action aspect.
The position is in a sector subject to scientific and technical potential protection (PPST) and therefore, in accordance with regulations, requires your arrival to be authorized by the competent authority of the MESR.

Le poste se situe dans un secteur relevant de la protection du potentiel scientifique et technique (PPST), et nécessite donc, conformément à la réglementation, que votre arrivée soit autorisée par l'autorité compétente du MESR.

Contraintes et risques

Short trips in France and abroad are to be expected in the context of investigative work, participation in working meetings, and scientific events.
Ideally, candidates should have a solid background in political science and social sciences with skills in qualitative and quantitative methods.
Proven knowledge of environmental and climate issues or an interdisciplinary approach (ecology-biology-science or engineering sciences) is required. Experience in conducting interviews and implementing experimental protocols would also be welcome. He/she must also be fluent in English.
Travel will be required as part of PEPR activities (seminars, study days, etc.). Supervisors are responsible for ensuring the doctoral student's training and integration into national and international research networks.
-CV
-Thesis project responding to the offer (10,000 characters max, including spaces)
-M2+ research thesis grades
-Letter of recommendation from Master supervisor