Deadline: March 1, 2019.

The EASST Visiting Fellowship seeks to equip East African social scientists with the skills needed to carry out rigorous evaluations of economic development programs.

Researchers will be based at the University of California, Berkeley for four months

during the fall academic semester (approximately August 20th-December 20th

2019) or the spring academic semester (approximately January 16–May 16th 2020)

.

FELLOWSHIP ACTIVITIES

 

During the fellowship period, visiting researchers will:

1. Participate in seminars and conferences on research in social and economic development.
2. Present their own work during seminars and workshops.
3. Audit courses, including rigorous doctoral-level seminars in impact evaluation;
4. Carry out an independent research project under the mentorship of  a CEGA faculty member (projects can use existing data for retrospective analysis or set-up a study design for future data collection)
5. Meet and collaborate with faculty and students in multiple academic departments.
6. Visit and present at CEGA campuses, including UC San Diego, Stanford University, and/or UC Santa Cruz.
7. Design impact evaluation curricula that will be taught at an East African institution;
8. Participate in policy dissemination by contributing to policy briefs, attending meetings with policymakers and stakeholders, and presenting at events.
9. Work with the World Bank and other partners to identify opportunities for future research.

 

ELIGIBILITY

 

Applicants to the EASST program must:

1. Be a national of an East African country (i.e.Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan,or Uganda)
2. Have completed a PhD within the last 8 years or be enrolled in a PhD program in economics, statistics,epidemiology/public health, or another social science discipline

(in exceptional cases, the applicants will hold a Masters’ degree in a relevant field

and have plans to pursue a PhD in the future. These cases will require a direct referra

l by a former EASST fellow)

3. If not a current student, hold a staff or academic position at a research institution, university or other organization in East Africa , preferably one that supports policy

-relevant, quantitative social science research.

4. Plan to return to a research institute in East Africa for at least 1 year after the fellowship.

 

BENEFITS

 

Upon completing the fellowship, scholars are expected to return to a university or research institute in East Africa and assume a leading role in promoting the use of

rigorous evidence in economic development.

After successful completion of the fellowship, fellows will be eligible for

 

1)“catalyst grants”of $5000-$7500 to administer trainings in impact evaluation

methods and work to build institutional capacity to conduct rigorous evaluations.

2)research grants of up to $50,000 to work with a CEGA affiliate to conduct an impact evaluation to answer an economic development question in East Africa; and

3)policy engagement grants of $8000 -$10,000 to facilitate the scale-up of research and forge meaningful linkages with policymakers.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

 

Successful candidates must:

 

1. Demonstrate strong analytic skills , with past coursework in economics or statistics

 

2. Have participated in or have familiarity with impact evaluation research (either randomized or quasi-experimental studies),policy analysis, and micro-level field data collection

 

3. Demonstrate a commitment to and experience with engaging policy-makers and implementing bodies and disseminating research findings

 

4. Demonstrate a commitment to building the capacity of African research institutions/universities.

 

5. Demonstrate a commitment to institutionalizing rigorous evidence within their institution

 

6. Submit a clear and innovative research proposal to evaluate a specific public policy or program, using randomized controlled trial or quasi-experimental methodologies

 

7. Be computer literate,fluent in English,and a strong public speaker.

 

OFFICIAL LINK

 

Visiting Fellowship Application