Rethinking Social Contracts for the 21st Century - Demographic Change, Social Protection and Solidarity

In today's global landscape, traditional social contracts are evolving and facing increased scrutiny. The unspoken agreements that have historically shaped societies—between citizens, governments, and institutions—are being challenged by demographic shifts, pressures on health and pension systems, political fragmentation, and increasing public debts. Moreover, existing social contracts have delivered unevenly in many regions, as evidenced by deep-seated structural inequalities. This disparity means that the social contract baseline differs between the Minority and Majority World. Increasing social, economic, and ecological pressures call for a critical examination of what constitutes a social contract fit for the challenges of our time.

This research call invites postdoctoral scholars to examine the evolving dynamics of social contracts, considering how social contracts need to be transformed to address the intersection of demographic shifts, migration, and labor market demands, ensuring inclusive and sustainable policies that foster social mobility and intergenerational equity. It shall also look into what role do non-state actors play (e.g., private companies, civil society) to address these questions including, global labor mobility, skills shortages, and crisis response. In a nutshell: How can social contracts evolve to promote solidarity in increasingly diverse societies, balancing demographic changes, migration, and equitable social protection systems?

We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives from fields such as sociology, political science, geopolitics, economics, law, public health, environmental studies, and related disciplines. We especially value solution-oriented research that proposes tangible recommendations and outcomes. Proposed research could explore, but is not limited to, one or more aspects of the following aspects:

Demographic Shifts:
• How can the social contract be updated to address the challenges of aging populations, declining birth rates, and shifting dependency ratios, while ensuring intergenerational equity in health, pensions, and social protection systems?
• What innovative approaches can the social contract adopt to support youth populations in regions experiencing rapid population growth, ensuring access to education, employment, and social mobility?
• How can the social contract integrate private sector actors to enhance public health systems and address the needs of aging societies, particularly in areas like pandemic response and elderly care?

Migration:
• How can the social contract be adapted to integrate migrants and refugees into host societies while addressing concerns about social cohesion and resource allocation?
• How can the social contract be reviewed to address the impacts of climate-induced migration and displacement on both sending and receiving communities?

The Future of Work:
• How can the social contract be updated to address the rise of non-traditional employment models (e.g., gig work, remote work, platform-based labor) while ensuring fair wages, job security, and access to social protections?
• What role can the social contract play in supporting lifelong learning and reskilling initiatives to help workers adapt to automation, artificial intelligence, and rapidly changing labor markets?

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates should be of the highest caliber and have demonstrated outstanding research achievements, as evidenced by the usual indicators for assessing academic excellence such as research outputs (e.g., publications, citations), research activities (e.g., organizing networks, being involved in communities) and research impact (e.g., policy reports, specific recognition through awards, etc.).

AXA Fellowships supports promising early-career researchers who have completed their PhD for no longer than five years.* Candidates must be awarded their PhD and have defended their PhD certification before submitting their Expression of Interest. To be eligible for the grant, researchers must not have a permanent (tenured or tenure-track) position.

* For the 2025 cycle, applicants must have defended their PhD on or after October 10, 2019. This date accounts for a 6-month flexibility beyond the 5-year working experience limit. AXA also provides an additional 6 months per child flexibility to account for maternity/paternity leave. For example, a candidate with three children may have defended their PhD as early as April 10, 2018 (October 10, 2019 + 18 months).

Application Instructions

Please submit:

1. A one‐page letter of intent with a description of proposed aims and approach.
2. If the final application requires a diversity statement or statement of broader impacts, please summarize your plans to address the specific requirements on an additional page.
3. CV (not biosketch) of the PI.

to limitedsubs@uw.edu by 5:00 PM Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Proposals are due to the sponsor 5/5/2025, so you will need to have your materials in to the Office of Sponsored Programs by 4/24/2025 if given the go‐ahead by the Limited Submissions review committee.