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April 30, 2008
Africa Call - Request for Proposals: Dissertation Fellowships in Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development: Institute of International Education (IIE) & The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Application deadline: 30 April 2008
Note: Open to students currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs in sub-Saharan Africa
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is now accepting applications for the Dissertation Fellowship in Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development. The two-year fellowships of up to $20,000 per year will be awarded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and IIE. The fellowships are open to students currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Students in economics, economic demography, geography, and epidemiology are especially encouraged to apply.
These fellowships will support dissertation research on topics that examine how population dynamics and family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) influence economic development, including economic growth, poverty reduction, and equity. Dissertations that address population and development issues pertinent to the African continent are especially encouraged. The research must include a strong quantitative component, with an emphasis on rigorous data analysis. We encourage the development or use of new statistical methods. Finally, the research must have a strong policy-relevant component, demonstrating an interest in communicating research results with program managers, planners, and policymakers.
The objective of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation/IIE Dissertation Fellowship is to produce sound evidence on the role of population and reproductive health in economic development that could be incorporated into national and international economic planning and decision making.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: The Hewlett/IIE Dissertation Fellowship will stimulate and define an interdisciplinary field of research that crosses the health-economics divide. The primary outcomes in the analysis should be economic. Listed below are examples of specific research questions that could fulfill program objectives. These examples are not intended to be comprehensive.
MICROECONOMIC ANALYSES: How do reproductive health outcomes affect economic outcomes at the individual and household levels? Outcomes of interest could include:
- Labor: productivity, labor force participation.
- Savings: savings behavior of women, children, and households.
- Sectoral investments: for adolescents or adult women.
- Education: investments in male or female education and expected returns.
MACROECONOMIC ANALYSES: How will projected trends in fertility, mortality, and migration affect economic growth and income distribution and the incidence of poverty? Linkages of interest could include:
- Policy variables, such as those influencing labor force participation and savings, and their effect on the relationships among population change, economic growth, and the incidence of poverty.
- Fertility and mortality impacts on growth and poverty.
- National and regional level modeling of how reproductive health investments in sub-Saharan Africa relate to labor supply and savings.
ELIGIBILITY: Students currently enrolled full-time in Ph.D. programs in sub-Saharan Africa are encouraged and eligible to apply. Applications are especially sought from students in economics, economic demography, geography, and epidemiology. Applications from students in other disciplines will be considered if their dissertation research meets the methodological requirements of the program. Students are eligible to apply if they have a dissertation proposal in progress or completed and all coursework completed by the beginning of the fellowship program.
FELLOWSHIP AWARD: The Hewlett/IIE Dissertation Fellowship in Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development will support up to 8 two-year fellowships beginning in 2008 or 2009, depending on the academic cycle of the university you are enrolled in, with awards announced in the summer of 2008. Fellowship recipients are awarded a maximum of $20,000 per year (depending on cost of living and university expenses in country) for two years to cover expenses incurred while working on their dissertation, including tuition, travel for research purposes, acquisition of data and research materials, and personal living expenses. Fellows will become part of a network of researchers supported by the WFH Foundation, IIE, PRB and other funders.
Network activities during the two-year fellowship period will include, an annual research conference in the winter and other optional networking opportunities such as a workshop on advanced methods in population-economic analysis, and a writing workshop.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: The deadline for applying is April 30, 2008. Please submit the following:
- Completed application cover sheet (found on the PDF version of this call)
- Curriculum Vita with full list of educational and other professional activities.
- Statement of intent to pursue a dissertation examining the linkages of population-family planning/reproductive health and economic development. Please identify the specific question to be addressed; provide a brief synopsis of the relevant literature demonstrating how your research will contribute to the Fellowship Program’s research objective; describe the data you expect to use and how you expect to use it; and summarize expected outcomes (maximum of twenty pages).
- Schedule for completing the dissertation.
- Budget for use of the fellowship award.
- Two letters of recommendation. One from your academic adviser and one from another faculty member.
- Essay describing how you believe your work, when complete, will affect policy and improve people’s wellbeing (maximum of two pages).
Please submit all application materials electronically (or hard copy to):
Ms. Dinika Mirpuri
Dissertation Fellowships in Population
Institute of International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Telephone: 212-984-5388
Fax: 212-984-5458
E-mail: popecondissfellows@iie.org
