PhD in Agricultural Economics, Rural Policy and Collective Action for Farmers’ Bargaining Power Wageningen University & Research in Netherlands

Wageningen University & Research is recruiting a PhD candidate in agricultural economics, rural policy, collective action, and food value chains for a 4-year EU Horizon project focused on strengthening farmers’ bargaining power.

The project examines how farmer cooperatives and producer organisations can improve the position of farmers in the food value chain, and how legal, organisational, and policy frameworks can enable or constrain collective action. The research is embedded in the Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy chair group at Wageningen University & Research.

You will work in an international, multidisciplinary team and contribute to interdisciplinary research bridging law, economics, and organisational perspectives. The role includes qualitative and quantitative methods, in-depth case-study research with project partners in the Netherlands, participation in project meetings, progress reporting, and project management tasks.

Supervision is by Dr. Liesbeth Dries, with co-supervision by Dr. Jos Bijman and Dr. Mirta Alessandrini. The position is based at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands.

Eligibility highlights include a completed MSc degree in a social science field, preferably applied economics; good knowledge of the EU agri-food sector and EU institutions/legal frameworks; flexibility to travel and engage with stakeholders; and excellent English, expected at C1 level.

Funding is provided as a fully funded PhD position with full-time employment for 4 years. The salary starts at €3,059 per month in year 1 and rises to €3,881 per month in year 4, with standard WUR employment benefits and a tailored course programme.

Applications close on 2026-06-01. Applicants must apply through the WUR vacancy page and submit a CV and motivation letter only; grades and transcripts are not required at this stage. Interviews are scheduled for 2026-06-24 to 2026-06-26.