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20 CHAPTER 1
dissertation, in order to conduct a detailed and extensive study of several cases. This design will allow me to compare and contrast the findings from each case and study what is unique and what is similar across cases (Bryman & Bell, 2007). A case study approach allows for generating theoretical insights as a result of contrasting findings (Bryman & Bell, 2007). The comparative design includes multiple comparisons: across selection procedures, across departments, and across countries.
First, I will study multiple selection procedures that took place in the period 2010 – 2017, as using multiple cases will give me a thorough understanding of the way formal criteria are understood, applied or ignored in committee deliberations and how the recruitment and selection practices are conflated with inequalities.
Second, I adopt the comparative approach between STEM and SSH disciplines that was salient in the GARCIA project because of the advantages of such approach indicated before. A comparison between STEM and SSH will be made in chapters 2 to 5.
Third, I will conduct two cross-national studies in which I make a comparison between recruitment and selection practices and gender practices in various countries. The GARCIA project gave a unique opportunity to extent the research findings across borders and to investigate if different national and organizational contexts produce different recruitment and selection practices for early-career researchers. In chapter 2, I make a comparison between higher education institutions (HEIs) in Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, because in these HEIs they have postdoc positions for which principal investigators recruit and select candidates. In chapter 4, I make a comparison between HEIs in Belgium, Iceland, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands because for the tenure-track assistant professor positions (or equivalent) in these countries formal hiring committees execute the recruitment and selection.
I chose to also write two chapters based on case studies in the Netherlands, as the valuable and rich data I collected myself in the Dutch STEM and SSH departments provided for in-depth analyses on inequalities in recruitment and selection. Another reason for the Dutch case in chapter 5 is that I was able to collect unique and confidential data through observations in the Netherlands. I was unable to get physical access to hiring committees in other countries and also the GARCIA partners could not secure permission to observe the committee practices.
Methods of data collection
I will briefly describe my research methods, as I will provide extended explanations of the methods used in each chapter separately. I used multiple data collection methods:



























































































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