First Joint-PhD Defence in co-operation with the ISS-EUR

Raffael Beier reports on the Joint-PhD

Since the beginning of the partnership agreement for the Joint-PhD programme between the IEE and the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague, part of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), was signed in 2014, three PhD candidates from IEE – Anne Siebert, Britta Holzberg, and Raffael Beier – have enrolled in the programme. We are pleased to announce the graduation of the first candidate, Raffael Beier, who defended his thesis, “From the City to the Desert – Analysing Shantytown Resettlement in Casablanca, Morocco, from Residents’ Perspectives” on Friday, 5 April 2019 in The Hague. The thesis assessed the policy processes and welfare outcomes of a shantytown resettlement programme in Casablanca, Morocco, by analysing quantitative and qualitative data gathered in large-scale fieldwork. It was jointly supervised by Irene van Staveren (ISS), Matthias Kiese (Institute of Geography, RUB), and Wilhelm Löwenstein (IEE), as well as by the co-supervisors Erhard Berner (ISS) and Sylvia Bergh (ISS).

In a very traditional ceremonial procedure with professors wearing hats and gowns, Raffael Beier had 12 minutes to present the essence of his PhD thesis. In the remaining 45 minutes, four external supervisors – Marie Huchzermeyer from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Paul Watt from Birkbeck University London; Wafae Belarbi from the Higher National School of Architecture in Rabat, Morocco; and Thea Hilhorst from the ISS – had the chance to ask questions to the candidate. Afterwards, they discussed internally the supervisory team and the chair of the defence, ISS rector, Irene Hutter. After the solemn ceremony, a speech by Wilhelm Löwenstein and the handing over of an impressive degree document written in Latin, the beadle led the procession of the new doctor, his family, and all jury members out of the hall. The defence was followed by a reception at the ISS and a dinner. All participants are looking forward to the next defence ceremonies of the joint-PhD in The Hague.