East Africa Social Science Translation Collaborative Visiting Scholar Fellowships for East Africans

EASST Collaborative Visiting Scholar Fellowships

Course(s) Offered: Social Science (economics, public health, etc)
Course Level: Postgraduate (fellowship)
Provider: CEGA, Makerere University
Country to Study in: USA

Scholarship Description
The East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative, administered by the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)* and Makerere University, invites economic, public health and other social science researchers and students from East Africa to apply for the 2012 Visiting Scholar Fellowship.

EASST is a multi-institution partnership (including Addis Ababa University, University of Dar es Salaam, and the African Population and Health Research Centre) with a mission to improve basic education, health, agricultural, financial, and information services in East African countries. To achieve this goal, this fellowship will equip East African social scientists with the skills needed to carry out rigorous evaluations of social development programs. Upon completing the fellowship, the candidate is expected to return to a university or research institute in East Africa and assume a leading role in the global effort on impact evaluation for economic development.

Eligibility
Eligibility requirements include:

1. Be a resident of an East African country participating in EASST (i.e. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, or Rwanda);
2. Have a PhD or Masters (completed within the last 5 years), or be enrolled in a doctoral program, in economics, statistics, epidemiology/public health, or other quantitative social science discipline;
3. Have conducted an impact evaluation study (either randomized or quasi-experimental), or have an interest in micro-level data collection and quantitative analysis;
4. Should hold a staff position at a research institution, university or other recognized national institution in East Africa that has an element of quantitative social science research;
5. Will return to a university or research institute in East Africa for at least 1 year after the fellowship;
6. Be computer literate and fluent in English.

Selection criteria:

• Candidates must have strong analytic and/or quantitative skills, and have preferably taken courses in economics and/or completed research using rigorous empirical techniques;
• Candidates should demonstrate an interest in rigorous program evaluation, policy analysis, and micro-level data collection;
• Candidate must demonstrate a commitment to building the capacity of African research institutions;
• Candidates must submit a clear and innovative research proposal that evaluates a specific public policy or program, using randomized controlled trial or quasi-experimental methodologies;
• Female applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

Eligible groups
Resident of East African countries participating in EASST (i.e. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,Ethiopia, or Rwanda) who meet the above 'Eligibility' requirements

Participating Institutions
The fellowship will be based at a CEGA-network campus (University of California or Stanford), and can be spent auditing courses, presenting recent work, attending seminars, developing curricula, and designing collaborative research projects.

Fields of study
Fellowship activities include:

• Participate in seminars and lunch presentations on research topics in socio-economic development, including presenting his/her own work;
• Audit courses, including a rigorous, post-graduate course in impact evaluation, taught by CEGA faculty;
• Carry out an independent research project under the mentorship of CEGA and EASST faculty members. Projects can use existing data for retrospective analysis or set-up a plan for original data collection;
• Meet and collaborate with CEGA faculty or students in a variety of academic departments;
• Design impact evaluation curricula that will be taught at an East African institution;
• Participate in policy dissemination in the form of contributing to policy briefs, attending meetings with policymakers and stakeholders, and presenting at CEGA and Makerere University or collaborating institution events;
• Attend research conferences, hosted by CEGA or by partner organizations.

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is the University of California's premiere center for research on global development. CEGA's faculty affiliates use two powerful techniques—rigorous evaluation and economic analysis—to measure the impacts of large-scale social and economic development projects. The Center integrates business and economic approaches with expertise in agriculture, public health, education, and the environment.

Number of awards
Not specified by provider

Sponsorship duration
Three (3) months

Fellowship benefits
Visiting Scholars will be placed at a CEGA-network campus (UC or Stanford) for a 3-month visit.
Each Visiting Scholar will be paired with a CEGA faculty mentor as well as a CEGA PhD student, to provide professional and personal support while in the program.
Room and board, health insurance, monthly stipend, visa fees, and roundtrip ticket will be covered.
After completing the program, fellows will be able to compete for pilot grants of US $50,000 to support studies conducted jointly between an affiliate from an EASST institution and a CEGA faculty member.
They will also be eligible to receive grants of $10,000 for activities related to impact evaluation at an East African research institution or university.

Method of Application
Instructions:All application materials must be received by 18 June 2012, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Incomplete applications or applications that do not fit the below requirements will not be reviewed.

A full application includes:

1. This completed application form(doc) can be found at www.easst-collaborative.org, and must be submitted in MS Word format, single space, Times New Roman font, size 12. Please save the file as: familyname_firstname_easst2012.doc.
2. Curriculum Vitae.
3. Transcript of completed coursework within at least the last 5 years (i.e. your scores or grades from your university courses). Scanned copy is acceptable.
4. One letter from the applicant’s supervisor or department chair demonstrating support and certifying that, if the applicant is selected, he/she will be able to take a leave of absence.
5. One letter of recommendation, describing the applicant’s research capacity, using the form at the end of this application. Please ask your reference to email the letter to easst.collaborative@gmail.com.

The application form and scanned copies of documents must be submitted electronically to easst.collaborative@gmail.com. Scanned copies must be legible.

Application Deadline: 18 June 2012
Open to International students: No (ONLY East Africans)

More Scholarship Information and Application

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