LGI Research Fellowships

crossposted from LGI Announce List

Subject: Call for proposals: LGI policy fellowships 2003

Call for proposals: LGI Policy Fellowship 2003

____________________________

Deadline for submitting applications - June 15, 2002

Applications submitted to Local Government and Public Service Reform
Initiative: [email protected]
Please write "LGI Policy Fellowship 2003" in the subject line.

Please contact Marietta Kleineisel [email protected] for details of the
fellowship program.
____________________________


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

* Digital Divide and E-Democracy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Mentor: Jerzy Celichowski, Deputy Director, Information Program, Open
Society Institute, Budapest

* 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

* Decentralization and the Transformation of the Governance of Education
Mentor: Peter Rado, Educational Policy Specialist, PRADO Consulting,
Budapest, Hungary

* Administrative remedies for abuses at local government levels
Mentor: Ed Rekosh, Director, Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) at
Columbia Law School (to be confirmed)


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 15, 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 15, 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 15, 2002.


Step 4. Fellowship program
June 15, 2002 Deadline for submitting applications
July 15, 2002 Selection, notification
July -October, 2002 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 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
April 2003 Summary of "virtual workshops":
preliminary team reports
May 30, 2003 Deadline for final 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.