THE 2009 INTERNSHIPS ARE OFFERED IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMMING UNITS (PROGRAM INITIATIVES/GROUPS/DIVISIONS): Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health (ECOHEALTH) Ecohealth research contributes to the generation and application of knowledge for improving people’s health in ways that advance sustainable development. This type of research is built around a systems approach that explores social and ecological interactions and their relationship with human health, and that emphasises transdisciplinarity and multi-stakeholder participation with a focus on social and gender equity. Internship candidates are encouraged to submit applications that will further the Program Initiative's multi-regional programming through a research activity proposed by the applicant focusing on Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs), especially in Southeast Asia and potentially linking to South Asia or Africa (50% of the intern's time). The selected candidate will also be expected to provide support to management and program staff in some of the following areas: follow-up activities from the International Ecohealth Forum 2008, mainly related to the production publications/dissemination activities; exchange with other institutions working on the broad range of issues the PI deals with through its programming; activities leading towards development and strengthening of research networks; promotion and dissemination of Ecohealth PI activities; and others (50% of the intern's time). The ideal candidate will have a broad interest on the links between environmental sustainability and human health and development, in particular EIDs. The candidate's research proposal should demonstrate the intention to explore the linkages between human health and environment, as well as a clear understanding of the Ecohealth methodological building blocks (stakeholder participation, transdisciplinarity, and social and gender equity) and recognise the dual nature of the position (combining an applied research activity and general program management elements).
The candidate must have been or will currently be enrolled in a postgraduate degree with a strong emphasis on a combination of either of the following backgrounds/disciplines:
· Public Health, Epidemiology, Animal Health; · Environmental Sciences; · Social Sciences.
The candidate will demonstrate experience or interest in research on social and ecological determinants of health, and the Ecohealth approach in general. Knowledge of research for development, field experience in a developing country and experience with publishing/communications are highly desirable. Rural Poverty and Environment (RPE) (2 positions) Two internship positions are available in the Rural Poverty and Environment ( RPE) Program. The interns will work with the team to further its multi-regional programming to strengthen institutions, policies and practices that enhance the food, water and income security of the rural poor living in fragile or degraded upland and coastal ecosystems. The ideal candidates should have an interest in rural livelihoods, sustainable development, and environmental governance and equity. The candidates' research proposals should focus on a specific issue within the internship topics below. The candidates must have, or will currently be enrolled in, a postgraduate degree with a strong emphasis on rural economy or environmental economics for the PES position, and emphasis on a discipline relevant to climate change (e.g., Environmental Studies, Geography) for the second position. Field experience in a developing country is an asset. Internship topics: 1) Payments for Environmental Services. This position will be based in Singapore. We encourage applications that address the theme of payments for environmental services (PES) under voluntary carbon markets (VCM). The applicants should be interested in the following question: how can we enable local communities to benefit from voluntary carbon credit? Other questions and issues that could be considered under this topic: are hindering factors surmountable for rural people that are excluded from VCM? Is land tenure a key factor for success or failure in VCM? How do we build on existing frameworks, i.e. fair trade, to ensure benefits that are equitable and sustainable? What are the necessary factors for an enabling environment (e.g. rules)? What makes a difference in factors that can stimulate market (e.g. fair trade)? 2) Adaptation to Climate Change. This position will be based in Ottawa, Canada. We encourage applications that address the theme of climate change and the environment with a regional focus on Latin America and/or Asia. The applicants should be interested in the technical issues, social issues, and complexities of adaptation to climate change. Applicants should be interested in at least one of the following questions: how can locally-led research (e.g. strengthening local government, participatory planning approaches that builds on local knowledge and indigenous practices, linking of local level initiatives to national level policy planning) contribute to policy and implementation programs for adaptation, particularly as those relate to the poor and other vulnerable communities? What adaptation strategies by local communities to climate change have been documented? How can we effectively use tools such as economic analysis, vulnerability assessments, poverty mapping, availability of infrastructure, social networks, etc., to assess adaptive capacity at the local and regional scales? How can new international adaptation funds enhance in practice the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities? For more information on RPE, please refer to the public website: Urban Poverty and Environment (UPE) The goal of UPE is to ease environmental burdens that exacerbate poverty in selected cities by strengthening the capacity of the poor to equitably access environmental services, reduce environmental degradation and vulnerability to natural disasters, and enhance use of natural resources for food, water and income security. The 2009 UPE intern will explore the relationship between urban poverty and the environment and gender. The work should explore how women in particular are burdened by environmental problems, how this contributes to their poverty, and how they work to overcome these obstacles. The study should explore the relationship between gender and one or more of the following themes: urban water and sanitation, solid waste management, vulnerability to natural disasters, urban agriculture, and land tenure. The research should be conducted in South-East Asia. The intern will spend approximately 50% of the time on his or her own research, and 50% supporting UPE's program-level activities. The intern should have the following qualifications: · Experience researching/working in developing countries; · Familiarity with participatory approaches and with methodologies for social and gender analysis; · Educational background: UPE is open to applications from candidates with a wide variety of academic backgrounds, for example, geography, urban planning, engineering, architecture, environmental studies, economics, sociology, anthropology. What is crucial is that the applicant understands both the technical and the socio-economic dimensions of urban poverty, and that he or she has the ability and understanding to work across the applied and social sciences. · Language Requirements: English with French and/or a South-East Asian language as an asset. Communities and the Information Society in Africa (Acacia)
Acacia aims to build the capacity of African researchers and practitioners and works with several African partners to explore how best to use ICTs to improve livelihood opportunities, enhance social delivery, and empower citizens. Acacia projects are helping to foster and sustain the conditions that encourage local innovation and empowerment.
The candidate's proposal needs to demonstrate an appreciation for the cumulative work, lessons of experience and development outcomes ICTs in development and the Acacia program in particular has achieved. The task over the year of internship will be to conduct mainly desk research and interact with existing Acacia research partners. Some field work is needed to develop a rationale for a next-generation vision and perspective on the role of ICTs and their development outcomes in Africa. This vision needs to be grounded in lessons of experience, development outcomes and processes affected by ICTs in development in general, and the Acacia program, in particular. The candidate needs to write a proposal that will: · display a high level of experience in a range of research methodologies and display analytical skills; · have an excellent theoretical grasp of the literature in the domain of development, in general, and an interest or passion for ICTs, in particular; · build on past research and the broader development context in order to develop a literature review and future oriented research agenda; · be able to work in a multi-disciplinary team and coordinate team inputs; · display high aptitude in the use of ICTs. The proposal needs to evolve the concept of "openness" while considering each of the Acacia program's ongoing range of research that spans experimental research design to evidence-based decision-making in the following areas: · lowering the barriers of access in Africa by engaging in approaches to achieve the digital commons - through consideration of knowledge as a public good through alternative and open regimes for intellectual property rights, copyright, open source software, open spectrum, open access and Access to Knowledge (A2K) processes and outcomes with implications for developing countries and the international, national and local processes that inform these debates; · improving public service delivery and governance - through capacity building through innovation and experiential on-the-job-learning of ICT applications and software development for use in health, education, Africa's Higher Education Institutions, agriculture, land reform, food security, and participation in public processes and social services; · overcoming social exclusion by improved capabilities - through ICT innovations for communities that are underserviced because of their geographical location, their language or culture, their sex or gender roles, their caste, class or race and through poverty; · addressing the policies and processes - affecting organizations, suppliers, consumers, users and communities, by enabling or constraining African development through access to local, national, regional and international means of electronic communication, content and benefits. For further information about Acacia’s program activities, please refer to www.idrc.ca/acacia TELECENTRE.ORG Housed at IDRC, the telecentre.org program makes social investments in skills development, knowledge support and services that help people running telecentres around the world. The program is a collaborative initiative of Microsoft, the International Development Research Centre ( IDRC), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. In 2007, telecentre.org began a new collaborative research project which aimed to investigate the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) through public access establishments such as telecentres and libraries. The project seeks to answer the following broad research questions: · What are the observable social and economic impacts of public access to ICT? · What is the magnitude of these impacts and how can we measure them? · What is the relationship between costs and benefits of providing public access to ICT? The group telecentre.org is seeking internship candidates who demonstrate an interest in conducting research that contributes directly to this project, including but not limited to: · A study to review past and current trends in public access to ICT research in order to identify gaps between existing research and research priorities in the subject area, or · A case study to review factors affecting public policy support to public access to ICT programs in select countries. Qualified candidates should possess: · A strong understanding of social science research methodologies and an aptitude for multi-disciplinary research approach; · Excellent writing skills in English; · Some familiarity with public access to ICT initiatives such as telecentres, libraries, cyber-cafés, and/or research on such a topic in the developing country context. Language Requirements: Spanish would be an asset. This internship will be based in Ottawa, but field research may be carried out in developing countries, subject to budget provision and approved work plan to be developed jointly by the intern and his/her supervisor. Innovation, Technology and Society (ITS) The successful candidate will hold the Internship in IDRC Headquarters in Ottawa, Canada. In addition to working on a research topic, the candidate is expected to integrate with the ITS team in its current activities and ongoing projects focusing on supporting the development of science, technology and innovation (STI) policies that aim to alleviate poverty in developing countries. The successful candidate will support the program’s work toward the democratization of new technologies in and for the South, to improve knowledge and understanding of the impacts of science, technology and innovation policies on development challenges. In addition to supporting the activities of ITS, the candidate will undertake independent research focusing on one of the following issues: · Science, Technology and Innovation policy issues in developing countries, specifically in relation with data collection, innovation surveys, metrics of innovation, economic statistics in R&D, and science & technology indicators; · Governance, policy and regulation of bio-and-emerging technologies at national and international levels in developing countries; · Innovation Systems Research in the South; · Gender issues in science, technology and innovation. The successful candidate is required to have strong research, analytical and writing skills in English, as well as familiarity with communications and dissemination tools. For more information on ITS and the program’s research themes and entry points see www.idrc.ca/its. Partnership and Business Development Division (PBDD) The mandate of the Partnership and Business Development Division ( PBDD) is to initiate, build, and maintain relationships with donors, international organizations and research funders committed to developing research capacities in developing regions of the world. PBDD co-ordinates the strategic and policy dimensions of partnering, as well as the more practical aspects of negotiating, budgeting and reaching agreement with other research funders. PBDD works with all IDRC programming areas; therefore, candidates will be exposed to a diverse set of research projects and clients and will acquire a solid appreciation for the world of research for development. PBDD also implements a global capacity building project for IDRC research partners on the various aspects of resource mobilization ( RM). Through modalities such as training workshops and technical assistance, the project aims to strengthen skill sets of research managers and staff, as well as overall organizational capacity. The candidate must be willing to work as a member of the PBDD team in its ongoing activities, including providing research analysis and coordinating the production and dissemination of information related to donor partnerships, resource mobilization and organizational development. PBDD encourages proposals from candidates interested in assisting in ongoing efforts to: · Foster and document donor collaboration and partnering to support research for international development; · Support capacity building for researchers and research organizations. Candidates should be knowledgeable in international development issues and be familiar with international and Canadian development agencies. In addition, candidates should have strong research, analytical and writing skills, and be familiar with website applications. Candidates who possess an MBA/MPA with interest in international work are encouraged to apply. Language requirements: English and a second language (French or Spanish). Globalization, Growth and Poverty (GGP) GGP welcomes applications for an internship position based in IDRC’s head office in Ottawa or in one of the regional offices in Dakar, Nairobi, Cairo, Singapore or Montevideo. Proposals for internships with this program should address aspects of the relationship between globalization, economic growth and poverty/inequality in developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Project proposals that focus on one of the following sets of issues will be especially welcome: · Elucidating the patterns of growth (geographic, sectoral, technological, etc.) that are more conducive to poverty reduction, and the engines of such inclusive growth, including the functioning of the labour market and the policy changes needed to create more and better jobs, and the role of the private sector in achieving inclusive growth; · Understanding the equity and poverty implications of various trade, competition and regulatory policy scenarios, and of different speeds and sequencing of policy reforms, as well as illuminating how non-economic institutions impact the growth-poverty linkages; · Clarifying what groups of households or individuals need State-provided social protection, of what kinds and in what forms, in various developing country settings, and on how to strengthen the capacity of states to finance social protection equitably and without hindering growth. Projects that involve analyzing various cases or experiences in more than one country or region, those that involve revisiting methodological approaches to the issues, and those that propose to analyze the strategies pursued by various development actors (international, national, official, non-governmental, private sector, etc.) are especially welcome. Proposals might approach these issues from a range of possible analytical perspectives, such as strictly economic, political economic, or institutional. Applicants are encouraged to address the gender and social equity dimensions of the issues in their proposals. As a GGP intern, the successful candidate will work on his/her own research project under the guidance of a GGP officer, as well as contribute to the program’s work by synthesizing and disseminating project outcomes and results, and participating in various project development, monitoring and learning activities undertaken by the team. Peace, Conflict and Development (PCD) The candidate is expected to have a strong research interest in peace and conflict studies in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and/or Sub-Saharan Africa. The candidate's proposed research should be relevant to one of PCD's thematic areas: · Democratic processes in governance and peacebuilding; · Political economy of peace and conflict; · Security and insecurity; · Violence, trauma, justice and reconciliation. Spanish and French language skills would be an asset. As PCD intern, the successful candidate will contribute to the program's work on synthesizing and disseminating PCD project outcomes and results as well as a variety of other tasks in addition to his/her research work. Women’s Rights and Citizenship (WRC) Women’s Rights and Citizenship ( WRC) is an IDRC program aimed at supporting applied research in the field of women’s rights, citizenship and development. Part of IDRC’s Social and Economy Policy (SEP) program area, the WRC program contributes to bringing Southern voices into current debates in the international gender and development field. WRC works to promote concrete changes in policies, institutions and practices – both by working with civil society groups and researchers to open spaces for public discussion and, where feasible, by supporting our partners to engage directly with national women’s machineries and other ministries to advocate for change. Specifically, WRC invites internship proposals that seek to explore the following research entry points that comprise the WRC prospectus 2006-2011: · Women’s Citizenship and Governance; · Access to Justice; · Sexual and Reproductive Rights; · Economic Rights; and · Migration and Women’s Rights. As a WRC intern, the successful candidate will contribute to the program’s overall work in advancing women’s rights and citizenship, including a variety of research and organizational tasks in addition to his/her own research project. The intern will have the opportunity to undertake his/her own research project during the course of the award. The research topic chosen should be in line with WRC’s programming strategy. Research projects focused on the issues of migration and women’s rights and/or gender and land tenure are highly desirable. The intern will spend approximately 50% of the time on his or her own research. The remaining 50% of the internship is allocated to the needs of WRC program. The position will involve development of multiple and discrete research and writing assignments focusing on women’s rights and citizenship issues. The intern will be called upon to assist with the overall work of the WRC program, which could include but is not limited to participation in team meetings, research tasks to locate, review and synthesize relevant material, preparation of state of the art reviews; preparation of correspondence; writing and editing of various documents; and assistance with the organization of meetings, workshops and seminars, arrangements for visitors; the preparation of minutes and reports; updating and maintaining databases; and maintenance of the WRC website. Competencies: · Excellent teamwork skills · Cross-cultural and gender sensitivity · Ability to set priorities and manage time effectively · Ability to work both independently and as an effective team member · Accuracy and attention to details · Ability to synthesize large amounts of information · Ability to organize and co-ordinate events (i.e., workshops and conferences) Research Skills and Experience: · Applicants should be enrolled in a Masters program or have completed a Masters in social sciences, politics and/or international affairs (i.e. international development studies, gender/women's studies, political science and good governance, human rights, development planning or related field) · Research specialization in the areas of migration and women’s rights and/or gender and land tenure are highly desirable · Strong research and analysis skills · Excellent English written and verbal communication skills · Fluency in French and Spanish are significant assets. Think Tank Initiative The Think Tank Initiative (TTI) is a new global program at IDRC that supports independent policy research organizations, or “think tanks”, in developing countries. The Initiative will focus on countries in East Africa, West Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Its goal is to strengthen a select group of independent policy research organizations, enabling them to provide objective high-quality research that both informs and influences policy. To achieve its mission, the Initiative will provide organizations with a mix of long-term general support grants (“core funding”) and access to training and technical assistance to allow them to improve research quality, expand policy linkages, and address other key aspects of organizational development. One important dimension of the Initiative is to capture and share learning about strategies for supporting and managing policy research organizations. The 2008 TTI intern will contribute to this dimension by providing a better understanding of what makes an independent policy research organization successful in different regions of the world, through the collection, analysis and synthesis of information on leading think tanks in the world. Proposals from candidates are therefore sought to describe how to develop and apply an analytical framework to help assess and compare think tanks and eventually develop 10-12 examples of think tanks the TTI can consider as successful or promising. The intern should have the following qualifications: · A Masters in economics, business administration, public policy or development economics; · Experience researching/working in developing countries; · Experience working in a policy research organization; · Be familiar with methodologies for social and economic analysis. Language Requirements: English. French would be an asset. As a TTI intern, the successful candidate will also contribute to a variety of other tasks in addition to his/her research work as part of the team. Governance, Equity and Health (GEH) GEH encourages research proposals that focus on one of the following research domains to address key governance, equity and health issues: · Policy processes for health service delivery (e.g. formulating, implementing, and evaluating pro-poor policy for health; fair and sustainable financing; influences of donors and globalization on policy); · Strengthening health systems (mechanisms and approaches to strengthen and monitor the capacity of governments to ensure equitable financing and delivery of priority public health and health care services, especially to marginalized and underserved populations); · Priority conditions or interventions as an entry point to address broader governance, equity and health systems issues; · Civic engagement (e.g. mechanisms to promote effective and informed participation and inclusion; exercising the right to health; health and health care as an arena for democratization); · Making research matter (conceptual and analytical framework to increase the effectiveness of research-to-policy-to-practice linkages in promoting the dual goals of health and social equity). The successful candidate is required to have strong research, analytical and writing skills, as well as familiarity with key institutions (including Canadian) active in international health and health research. An understanding of the health implications of urbanization, as well and Spanish and French language skills, would be considered an asset. Please note that the intern will spend approximately 50% of the time on his or her own research and 50% as an integral part of the GEH team. As GEH intern, the successful candidate will contribute to the program's work on synthesizing and disseminating GEH project outcomes and results as well as a variety of other tasks in addition to his/her research work. Research for International Tobacco Control (RITC) The RITC program works to create knowledge for the development of effective policies and programs that will minimize the threat of tobacco production and consumption to health and human development in developing countries. The intern will work with the RITC team on its broad tobacco control and development agenda and will undertake an individual research project that is relevant to at least one of the following program areas within RITC’s thematic portfolio in developing countries: · Tobacco Farming: Health, Livelihoods, Economics and Environment · Health Systems and Policy · Globalization and Tobacco · Alternative Forms of Tobacco Use As part of the candidate’s program work with RITC, he/she will be closely involved in helping to coordinate a small grants research competition to support ratification and implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and in assisting with activities related to the Africa Tobacco Control Situational Analyses (ATSA) initiative. ATSA seeks to understand the critical determinants of success for tobacco control in Africa. The situational analyses will assess current tobacco use, the dynamics and economics of tobacco production and consumption and existing relevant tobacco control policies in twelve Sub-Saharan African countries. The ATSA findings will inform the development and implementation of tobacco control strategies in Africa. In addition, under the guidance of the RITC team, the intern will prepare necessary documents and gain knowledge on project management, proposal development and evaluation, building research capacity among researchers in developing countries, and will assist with the organization of RITC-led domestic and international workshops. Candidates are expected to have strong research, analytical and writing skills, experience in quantitative data analysis, and intermediate knowledge of one or a combination of the following backgrounds/disciplines: · tobacco control · public health · health policy · international development Knowledge of qualitative data analysis would be an asset, as well as French and/or Spanish language skills. The intern will spend approximately 50% of the time on his or her own research and 50% as an integral member of the RITC team. | 
