LGI Policy Fellowships

http://lgi.osi.hu/fellowship/2002-2003.asp
Call for proposals: LGI Policy Fellowship 2003
Purpose

The purpose of the LGI Policy Fellowship program is to provide experts and
professionals from the region the opportunity to work with a multinational
team of fellows on comparative research. The fellowship program is aimed at
developing policy research and strengthening regional capacity by developing
policy networks throughout the region. The expected outcomes - policy
studies and recommendations - will support democratic governance and public
administration reform in the region.



The project

The primary goal of the LGI Policy Fellowship program is to launch policy
research and to design recommendations on the interaction of development
models in various areas of government and public services. Fellows are
encouraged to initiate research and to work on policy conclusions with
national and local government officials and advisers.



Each year, three broad topics are identified for candidates from different
country groups. LGI will support joint, or compatible, research and policy
development studies. Combining the fellows' efforts on their own countries'
problems, our intention is to create long-standing horizontal professional
contacts and to improve knowledge on specific Central European and Eastern
development models.



LGI is currently calling for Fellows for the 2002/2003 LGI Policy Fellowship
Program. The program will begin in October 2002 and will end in July, 2003.



Fellowship topics for 2003



1.          Digital Divide and E-Democracy in Eastern Europe and Central
Asia



Mentor: Jerzy Celichowski, Deputy Director, Information Program, Open
Society Institute, Budapest



Topic Summary


Research done within the project will seek to find ways to introduce
elements of e-democracy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia without depriving
those with no access to the Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) of the possibility to participate in them. In this context, digital
divide refers to the consequences of a lack of access to ICTs that leads to
inability to participate in the benefits brought by them, in economy,
education and everyday life.



If e-democracy experiments were to lead to an exclusion of social groups
they would mean a loss to democracy. On the other hand refraining from them
purely on equity basis means foregoing an opportunity with a potential for
strengthening democracy. The solution to this dilemma resides in a
combination of new and traditional media for providing access to
government-held information, consultation and participation.



The primary focus of the research will be on access to government-held
information, consultations, and participation in decision-making. The
research will touch upon problems related to the use of ICTs in various
administrative procedures and its impact on the quality of services
(avoidance of petty corruption etc.) as well as related organizational
issues like the management of data between various governmental and
administrative structures.



Policy Research Issues



1.           Mapping current situation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Analysis of access to government-held information, with particular attention
to those based on ICTs

Analysis of consultation practices, with particular attention to those based
on ICTs

Analysis of participatory practices, with particular attention to those
based on ICTs

2.           Collection of practices in developed democracies particularly
those leading in e-democracy experiments.

3.           Analysis of existing practices with relation to the digital
divide. Identification of methods of overcoming of it.

4.           Proposal of policy for the introduction of e-democracy in
Eastern Europe and Central Asia



Preference will be given to candidates from Eastern Europe (including
Russia), Central Asia and the Caucasus.



2. Housing the Poor  in Major Urban Centers: What are the Problem and What
Can Be Done to Solve Them.

Mentor:  James Fearn, General Counsel, Seattle Housing Authority, Seattle,
Washington, USA



Topic Summary


In the transition from planned to market economies in Central and Eastern
Europe the cost of providing and maintaining housing shifted from the state
to families and individuals.  Too often, families and individuals lack the
financial resources to purchase housing or to maintain the housing they own.
Due to the low level of income, tenants and owners often produce massive
unpaid rents and bills. As a result, the existing housing stock is
declining, poverty and homelessness is increasing in major urban areas in
the region.  Because these problems directly impact the quality of life in
urban areas, housing and homelessness are primarily local government
problems.



Housing the poor is also a major problem for local governments in the United
States and Western Europe.  Almost every major city in the US, and many in
Europe, are experiencing substantial increases of urban poverty and
homelessness and a steady deterioration of the housing stock in low-income
neighborhoods.



The fellowship team will examine the experiences of selected local
governments in the region, and the experiences of selected cities in the US
and/or Western Europe, in addressing urban decline, poverty and
homelessness.  Team members will then do a comparative analysis of the
approaches taken by the cities in the region to resolve their problems, and
a comparative analysis of the approaches taken in the region with the
approaches taken in the US and western Europe.



Policy Research Issues


the economic, social, political and legal causes of housing decline and
urban poverty in the region

the magnitude of the housing decline, urban poverty and homelessness problem
in the region

national and local regulations, policies and programs for addressing housing
decline, urban poverty and homelessness in the region

the effectiveness of existing policies and programs in the region

the causes of urban poverty, homelessness and urban decline in selected
cities in the US and Europe

the economic, political and regulatory tools used by local governments to
address urban decline and for providing housing for the poor and the
homelessness

recommended policies and strategies for addressing housing decline, urban
poverty and homelessness



Preference will be given to candidates from EU accession countries
(including second wave applicants)




3.          Decentralization and the Transformation of the Governance of
Education



Mentor:  Peter Rado, Educational Policy Specialist, PRADO Consulting,
Budapest, Hungary


Topic Summary



The decentralization process, from a centrally managed education system to
one where the professional and institutional autonomy of the schools is
strengthened and ownership is deployed to local and regional authorities, is
one of the most important features of education reform in the CEE's decade
long transition process.

However, decentralization at the local and regional level was not matched
with the necessary steps of building and improving the quality and structure
of central governance. While huge resources were invested in enabling
schools at local and regional levels to adjust to their changing roles and
responsibilities, most countries ignored the need to adjust central
governance (strategic steering and policy making) to this new management
structure. As a consequence, these governments failed to improve the quality
and effectiveness of educational services at a period when their realignment
is one of the most important conditions of the overall transition process.



Policy Research Issues


Strategic steering:

a.           The distribution of decision-making authority between different
levels and actors in educational management.

b.           The distribution of decision-making authority according to
different types of decisions (e.g. regulation and licensing, choice of
curricula).

c.           The organization of central educational governance /
cooperation between different agencies.

d.           Systemic conditions of effective strategic steering  (e.g.
financial and administrative accountability, reliable educational
statistical and financial information system, regular system monitoring).



Policy making:

a.           Evidence based policy making (the flow of information within
the system, policy analytical capacities at the disposal of key policy
making actors, institutionalized policy planning support mechanisms,
integration to international frameworks of policy research and analysis).

b.           Stakeholder involvement (self-organized stakeholders,
institutionalized formal and mandatory policy consultation and bargain, open
public discourse).



Preference will be given to candidates from Eastern and South Eastern Europe



4.          Administrative remedies for  abuses at local government levels


Mentor: Edwin Rekosh, Executive Director, Public Interest Law Initiative
(PILI), Columbia University Budapest Law Center



Topic Summary


Aside from the voting booth, the place where the vast majority of any
country's population comes into direct contact with the institutions of
governance is at the local level. The quality of such contact has an
important impact on both the well-being of the individual and the future
prospects of the entire society. Well-performing state institutions at the
local level help citizens to manage personal risks (such as old age,
illness, unemployment, natural disaster, etc.), ensure more equitable
allocation and sustainable development of resources, create a more favorable
business climate and reduce the likelihood of civil conflict.



Especially in a country that has yet to develop a growing economy with a
reasonably equitable allocation of resources and strong social cohesion,
creating effective institutions at the local level requires a socially
inclusive approach. In other words, local administrative agencies must be ac
countable to the broad public they serve and not solely to small internal or
external elites. The alternative is that the benefits of any institutional
reform will continue to be captured by those with the most power and least
need, hindering both long-term, broad-based economic growth and the
development of democratic institutions.



This research project will examine various factors that inhibit the
accountability of local government agencies to the public. To examine
accountability in practical terms, we will look at the availability and
effectiveness of remedies for the abuse of administrative authority, which
could be defined as an action of enforcement, promulgation of a norm, taking
of a decision or denial of a benefit by a state official that is illegal,
improper, arbitrary or capricious. The project will also examine ways to
increase accountability, through the streamlining of existing remedies and
development of new remedies. We will be using the term "remedies" in its
broadest sense, considering changes in policy, practice or institutional
reform, as well as legal remedies, designed to improve accountability.



Policy Research Issues
Analysis of the actual functioning of internal, hierarchical accountability
mechanisms within one or more administrative structures, with particular
attention to issues of corruption, professional responsibility and political
neutrality.



Analysis of the role of the courts in undertaking judicial review of
administrative decision-making, with emphasis on procedural limitations,
practical obstacles (including lack of legal expertise or services), and
potential reforms and other interventions.



Research and analysis of practices regarding broader remedies, including
preventive remedies, such as transparency and access to information as well
as public participation in rule-making and decision-making.

This action-oriented research is a joint project of LGI and PILI, which will
make efforts to follow-up the research phase with practical projects to be
implemented in the future.  Preference will be given to candidates from
Eastern Europe (including Russia), Central Asia and the Caucasus.



Methods and procedures



Grant

LGI will award successful applicants with a stipend for a period of 10 month
between October 2002 and July 2003. The grant will cover a monthly stipend
as well as expenses related to the research and travel costs related to
Fellowship workshops.



Eligibility

Ideal applicants are civil servants, policy researchers, and policy
advisers. A graduate degree or equivalent is required. Applicants must be
citizens of CEE, SEE, or NIS countries. As a rule, Fellows will be based in
their home countries, but they are expected to attend fellowship workshops.
Fellows are expected to continue their activities at their home institution,
working on the mutually agreed project for fifty percent or less of their
work time.



Methodology

LGI will group Fellows into small teams of 3 or 4 according to their topic.
Each team of fellows will be lead by a mentor - a well-known expert. Mentors
will advise and supervise Fellows in the course of the implementation of
their research projects. Mentors will also facilitate professional
cooperation and communication between members of the team. Fellows are
encouraged to support each other's work with their expertise and comments
within their teams. LGI encourages teams of fellows to develop joint or
comparable research agendas.



Expected outcomes/ products

Fellows are expected to conduct quality research according to the mutually
accepted research protocol. As a final product, fellows will submit a
research report that is an informative policy document, based on recent
theoretical literature and policy research findings, that includes policy
recommendations.  Teams are expected to submit a joint report concluding
their comparative results. LGI will publish the best reports.



Application procedure

Step 1. Submission of the Application:

The application must include the following elements:

Cover page (Full name, gender, contact address, residency)

Research proposal (1,500 words) including a well-defined research problem,
justification of the topic, research methodology, and expected outcomes of
the research

Writing sample (English-language article published in a relevant periodical
or a chapter of a book)

Professional CV

The name and contact information of two people familiar with  the
professional capacities of the applicant



The deadline for submitting applications is June 30, 2002.

Late applications will not be considered.



Step 2. Review and selection:

Each incoming application will be registered by LGI upon reception. LGI will
assign the submission a registration number that will be used for further
reference. Submissions will be reviewed by LGI as of July 31, 2002 (see
timetable below). LGI may contact the applicants to verify or request
further information relevant for the LGI Fellowship. LGI will check each
submission to ensure that it meets the formal criteria and quality.



Criteria for Evaluation: proposals must respond to domestic needs, be
policy-oriented, focused, creative, and theory-based but practice-oriented



Step 3. Feedback

All applicants will be notified by LGI of their status by July 31, 2002.



Step 4. Fellowship program

June 30, 2002
Deadline for submitting applications

July 31, 2002
Selection, notification

September -October, 2002
Selected fellows will sign the fellowship contract with LGI

October 1, 2002
Starting date of the Fellowship program

October - November 2002
Fellows will start their research and will  prepare their detailed research
plan

November 24-26, 2002
Workshops of Team 1, 2, 3, 4
Teams will discuss each individual research plan and will accept common TOR
for a team report

February 20, 2003
Deadline for first drafts

March 1-31,  2003
"Virtual Workshop"
Mentors and members of each team discuss and comment on each other's first
drafts through e-mail. During the period of Virtual Workshop fellows and
mentors

discuss methodological issues

develop further conceptual issues

finalize the comparative framework of the research

 April 2003
Summary of "virtual workshops": preliminary team reports, evaluation of
fellows progress and participation in  the "virtual workshop"

May 30, 2003
Deadline for full drafts of fellowship projects

June 30, 2003
Review of final drafts

July 31, 2003
Delivery of full fellowship outcome and team reports

November  2003
LGI Fellowship closing conference



Step 5. Follow-up

Alumni-fellows are invited to participate in various LGI initiatives
including Curriculum Development, technical assistance, consultancy work and
contribution to LGI publications.

 Alumni-fellows are expected to assist new fellows with comments and
guidance in their research. Alumni-fellows are expected to help in
connecting institutions to LGI.




Applications should be submitted to:

Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative: [email protected]
Please write "LGI Policy Fellowship 2003" in the subject line.
Contact Person: Marietta Kleineisel [email protected] for related detailes