Internships Spring 2025
Apply for an Internship at the V-Dem Institute
Who we are
Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) is a new approach to conceptualizing and measuring democracy. We provide a multidimensional and disaggregated dataset that reflects the complexity of the concept of democracy as a system of rule that goes beyond the simple presence of elections. The V-Dem project distinguishes between five high-level principles of democracy: electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian, and collects data to measure these principles. We are a team of over 50 social scientists on six continents. We work with almost 4000 country experts and a truly global International Advisory Board. Read more about the work we do here.
What we are looking for
We are looking for two to four highly motivated, self-driven interns who are interested in democracy as a research area. The duration of the internship program is 10 weeks.
The Spring 2025 semester will be divided in two sub-periods:
1st period: 20 January - 28 March 2025 (1-2 interns)
2nd period: 31 March - 6 June 2025 (1-2 interns)
The dates and duration of the internship can be somewhat flexible.
Applicant requirements
- The applicant should currently be enrolled in a master’s or bachelor's program and do the internship as part of their studies, that is receive academic credit for the internship program at their home university.
- The working language at V-Dem is English and thus advanced fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other languages such as Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and/or Russian is an asset.
- Previous research methods courses are desirable.
- The internship is unpaid but students will receive academic credits.
- The internship takes place in-person at the V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg.
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding our internship program, please feel free to reach out.
How to Apply?
Send your CV and cover letter before 22 November 2024 to ana.good.god@v-dem.net. Please add "Internship Spring 2025" to the subject line. Please indicate which period you are interested in in your email and/or cover letter.
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants who are not enrolled in a study program, or do not receive academic credits from their university, cannot be accepted.
Impressions from Previous Interns
"I chose V-Dem due to my interest in research projects and my desire to improve my understanding of quantitative methods specifically. I was more than happy with what I learned at V-Dem.
I got to know both the “input side” of the project, the creation of the dataset, the coding, the behind the scenes of putting it all together, and the “output side”, working with the finished dataset, conducting analyses, and writing reports on findings from the data. I enjoyed this mixture of delving into new tasks and challenges (mainly coding) and being able to use what I had already learned.
In terms of the colleagues and the work environment, V-Dem was welcoming, friendly, and relaxed."
/Kai, Political Science bachelor student at Freie Universität Berlin, intern at V-Dem spring 2024.
"I was excited for the opportunity to have a closer look at the process of building and updating the democracy indexes. All my expectations were met and exceeded.
As an intern, my tasks were mainly to help coding for the v14 update and assist the expert coding management. This experience helped me get a clearer idea on what and how I would like to continue my studies. Additionally, it showed me how a healthy and functional workplace looks and how to insert myself into it.
I would recommend applying to anybody who is interested in democracy and quantitative methods (the knowledge of the latter does not have to be extensive, but it is the approach you will be confronted with)."
/Cecilia, Political Sciences bachelor student at Università degli studi di Milano, intern at V-Dem fall 2023.
"During the internship I had a variety of interesting tasks. Most of the work revolved around contributing to the V-Dem dataset (v14), including the coding of variables and the search for potential new country experts. Working on these tasks helped me improve and extend the skills I had already acquired during my studies.
I advise anyone with an interest in research on political regimes and / or quantitative methods, or seeking to find out whether working for a research institute or in academia is a possible future path to apply for an internship at V-Dem.
Whatever your interest may be, V-Dem’s calm and feedback-happy environment will help you improve your skills and get a clearer understanding of your professional goals."
/Jan-Philipp, Political- and Administrative Sciences student at Universität Potsdam, intern at V-Dem fall 2023.
Interested in doing an Internship during Fall 2025?
Internships for Fall 2025 will be advertised during Spring 2025. Conditions will be similar to above.