Page 23 - Through the gate of the neoliberal academy • Herschberg

GENERAL INTRODUCTION 21
observations, interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. Also, I analysed research reports and interview summaries written by the international research teams that were part of the GARCIA project. The various methods complemented each other and enabled a comprehensive study of recruitment and selection practices. By using documents, interviews, focus groups, and observations, I could study the complex and dynamic interplay between formal policies of the university and actual daily practice of hiring committee members. Table 1.1 gives an overview of the data sources I have used in each chapter
Gaining access to hiring committees has proven difficult due to the sensitive and confidential nature of selection decisions (see also Rivera, 2017; Van den Brink, 2010). Partly because of the commitment from the SSH and STEM departments to the GARCIA project, I had access to selection documents and hiring committee members. Administrative departments provided me with documents on selection procedures that had taken place in 2010 – 2014 (job descriptions and appointment reports). From these documents I could retrieve names of individuals who had taken place in hiring committees. I contacted them either by email or by stepping into their office to ask for their willingness to participate in an interview or focus group.
Documents
I started my data collection in the university in the Netherlands with collecting documents such as job descriptions, departmental HR policy documents such as recruitment protocols, and appointment reports in the SSH and STEM departments. In total, I obtained 32 job descriptions (9 from STEM and 23 from SSH) and 30 appointment reports (5 from STEM and 25 from SSH). The amount of job descriptions provided me with the information as to how many formal hiring procedures had taken place. The content of the job descriptions showed what criteria were documented. The recruitment protocols taught me how the recruitment and selection procedures of early-career researchers are organised and what criteria are considered important in their selection. The appointment reports provided more detail about the recruitment and selection in the various cases, such as the selection committee, how many applicants had applied, how many candidates were invited for an interview, and based on what criteria candidates were recommended for hiring or not. In order to secure confidentiality, I analysed the appointment reports in the SSH department in the storage room and did not copy them or take them out of the room. The appointment reports of the STEM department were stored on the campus network, which meets legal and ethical requirements.
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