Call for Expressions of Interest: New Directions in Social Policy

Deadline: 15 October 2014, 23:59 (CET). – http://www.unrisd.org/ndsp-eoi

Project from: 2013 to 2016

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) invites expressions of interest from researchers to take part in country-level research under the project New Directions in Social Policy: Alternatives from and for the Global South.

Deadline: 15 October 2014, 23:59 (CET).

This three-year research project examines the emergence, nature and effectiveness of recent developments in social policy in emerging economies and low-income countries. The purpose is to assess whether we are seeing the development of substantially new approaches to social policy or welfare systems within emerging economies that can provide alternative solutions to the critical social development challenges facing low-income countries in the 21st century.

Notwithstanding an environment of persistent economic uncertainty and social tension or crisis in many parts of the world, remarkable changes in the nature and scope of policies (both social and economic) designed to achieve better social outcomes are taking place in some emerging and developing economies. Social policy and programme innovations in the South have demanded widespread attention in the international community, and various ideas and policies such as conditional cash transfer programmes, public works, and the idea of Buen Vivir are being widely studied, evaluated and replicated.

From a comparative social policy and political economy perspective, however, a number of critical questions about these initiatives remain insufficiently answered. The questions of concern for this research project include:
What are the notable changes in the approaches to or contents of social policies and programmes in emerging and developing countries?
Why and how are these changes occurring – through what kinds of economic, social or other policies, programmes or institutional and political arrangements?
What are the relationships between different (orthodox or heterodox) economic policies and the social policy options being pursued in different contexts?
What are the implications of these changes, whether in terms of short-term welfare goals or broader development processes? In particular, what are the impacts by gender and across the life course?
How is learning about these new policies and programmes being shared among countries in the South?

The project’s cross-country comparative work will explore these critical questions through analysis of social policies and programmes, and their wider institutional and political arrangements, in (i) five single-country studies selected among Brazil, China, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa and Sri Lanka, and (ii) two or three studies of clusters of countries selected among Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates. Each Middle East and North Africa (MENA) study is expected to cover two or three of the six MENA countries.

About this call

UNRISD invites scholars with a proven track record in research and publication on the questions of concern to this project to submit an expression of interest for one of the countries, or for a cluster of two or three of the MENA countries, listed above.

Multidisciplinary research teams will consist of one team leader with up to three supporting researchers, including at least one experienced researcher with a proven track record of research and publication.
Team leaders should hold a PhD or its equivalent, demonstrate a relevant track record in research and publication, and have experience in managing and coordinating research projects.
Supporting researchers should have extensive expertise on the country/ies in question and normally be based in the country of research, although the latter is not a requirement.

We are accepting expressions of interest from:
potential country teams, made up of a team leader and supporting researchers, which would undertake a country or cluster study,
potential country team leaders, who would be willing to lead, or put together, a team of researchers; and
individual researchers, who would be willing to join country research teams.

Participating researchers will collaborate in developing a comparative methodology, undertake field work, draft reports and academic outputs, and engage in workshops, conferences, policy dialogues and other communication activities between December 2014 and December 2016.
You can read the full project concept note and find out more on the project at www.unrisd.org/ndsp.

To submit your expression of interest (EOI)

Please ensure that you have read the full project concept note before completing the EOI form. The EOI form includes space for a brief proposal as to how you/your research team would approach the research. Please send the completed form, along with the following attachments, to ndsp@unrisd.org, using the subject line “EOI submission”:
a full CV (including academic record and list of publications); and
a sample of a recent single-authored piece of academic work on a topic related to this research project.

Deadline: Monday, 15 October 2014, 23.59 (CET).

More on this call:
UNRISD particularly welcomes expressions of interest from women and young post-doctoral researchers (under 35 years old), particularly from developing countries.
Due to limited staff resources, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
If you are not submitting an EOI but are interested in engaging with UNRISD work on this topic in other ways (events, e-dialogues, etc.), please get in touch.
For further information email Ilcheong Yi (yi@unrisd.org), Liz Koechlein (koechlein@unrisd.org) or ndsp@unrisd.org, or visit the project website: www.unrisd.org/ndsp