A new opportunity has arisen to join the virtual think tank BRICS+ Thinking as a Policy Fellow. Over the course of one year, the successful fellow will be tasked with producing a policy report on the changing nature of global governance, with a particular focus on north-south initiatives. Read on to learn more about the role and how to apply.
The postwar system of multilateral institutions that underpinned the ‘liberal international order’ is in disarray. Long-established institutions of global governance have been profoundly undermined by rising geopolitical tensions, the rise of BRICS+ countries, the collapse of the ‘political west’ and a return to power politics and national self-interest. At the same time, many new initiatives have emerged and are playing an increasingly influential role in governing a range of public and private goods that are critical to digital and energy transitions, trade, finance, debt, security and development more broadly. These forays into C21 global governance include BRICS+ and its constituent parts like the NDB, IPSA or BRICS Pay; other non-OECD centric governance institutions (e.g. AIIB, RCEP, CSTO, SCO, AES); new north-south coalitions such as the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition; and the more general impact that the rise of role of BRICS+ countries are having within the international system.
How can this new world of what some call ‘plurilateralism’ be understood and conceptualised? How are these new initiatives operating and how is this reshaping the governance of global public goods and bads? What scope is there for new coalitions of states and non-state actors – from within the global South, and across global South and global North boundaries – to forge new forms of collective action that can start to reshape the current disorder?
The new BRICS+ Thinking Initiative is offering the opportunity to take up a Policy Fellowship on C21 global governance with one of its partners, the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. The successful applicant will be responsible for producing a policy paper that analyses recent shifts in the realm of global governance, explores the role of BRICS+ countries in shaping these and investigates the future implications for global governance. This will include ‘deep-dives’ into at least two substantive areas that can offer insights into how current geopolitical dynamics are reshaping the actual governance of key public goods and bads and the policy implications that flow from this. One will focus on AI and the digital transition plus one or more from (for example) climate change and green energy transitions, debt/finance, trade (including regional/south-south value chains) or development more broadly. The report will be academically rigorous, equivalent to that expected of papers submitted to high-quality international journals, and policy relevant. The final report will be presented to a high-level policy audience.
The Fellowship will attract a stipend of £30,000. The successful candidate will be based at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester, where they will benefit from joining a vibrant intellectual environment with internationally-renowned experts and initiatives relevant to BRICS-Plus Thinking. This includes the Second Cold War Observatory, major research programmes on sustainable transitions and research collectives working on the digital transition, global value chains and global finance. The policy fellow will be included within and contribute to relevant research groups, seminar series and policy-facing events. It is expected that the fellow will spend the equivalent of two days per week at GDI over the course of the fellowship (either on a regular basis and/or in more dedicated chunks of time).
Person specification
We are expecting to award the fellowship to an academic/researcher with a PhD who has considerable post-doctoral expertise in the changing world of global governance. They should have strong connections to other academic experts and policy communities in the relevant field/s. Evidence of high-quality communications skills – both written and spoken – will be required. Both BRICS Plus Thinking and GDI are committed to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion and we strongly welcome applications from minoritised and under-represented groups.
Application process
Applicants should submit a full CV plus a two-page proposal that sets out how they would frame and explore their research for this policy fellowship.
Applications should be submitted to <GDI.admin@manchester.ac.uk> by 31 August. Interviews will be held in mid-September. The 12-month fellowship will either run from October 2026-September 2027 or January 2027-December 2027.
Any queries should be directed jointly to Gemma Chenger Deng, CEO of BRICS Plus Thinking <gcdeng@bricsplusthinking.org> and Sam Hickey, Head of the Global Development Institute <sam.hickey@manchester.ac.uk>.
Note: This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole.
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