Collaborative Research - Description

This modality is designed to bring senior African and non-African researchers together to conduct research on topical issues of interest and to produce a critical mass of literature of policy and academic relevance to sub-Saharan Africa. It has allowed the Consortium to advance from a strictly capacity building research network into a leading African research forum.

The collaborative research modality has helped the Consortium to retain senior African scholars in the network, thereby exploiting past investments in capacity building and enhancing the role of thematic research. Collaborative projects also build links between AERC researchers and the policy making community; sharpen the Consortium's developmental value through its involvement in policy dialogue on Africa's development, through effective outreach; and provide for modality of capacity building of policy makers using AERC research. Besides, they offer a way to respond to evolving policy needs of the region by progressively broadening the research focus beyond macroeconomic stabilization; forge partnerships in order to provide effective outreach to researchers in under-represented regions; and enhance the skills of middle-career African scholars.

The ultimate decision to undertake a collaborative research (CR) project rests with the Programme Committee. The sub-committee on research reviews and approves proposals from the Secretariat on plans for future collaborative projects, and the Secretariat and the chair of the sub-committee brief the full committee, for its endorsement. For a given collaborative project, the Research Director may appoint a coordinator to assist in its management. For each collaborative project, a steering committee is selected to assist the Secretariat in substantive implementation of the project.

The steering committee and the coordinators determine an overall direction for the project through annual plans and a medium-term plan for the project, subject to approval by the Programme Committee. They provide advice and guidance in developing the project and organize workshops and conferences; assist in networking academics and policy makers; and assist in securing financial resources to initiate and develop the project on a sustainable basis they also oversee the financial accounts of the project, which is administered by the AERC Secretariat.

So far, eight collaborative research projects had been initiated:

• Regional Integration and Trade Liberalization in Sub-Saharan Africa
  
• Africa and the World Trading System
  
• Financial Markets and Monetary Policy: The African Experience
  
• Africa East-Asia Comparative Development Experiences
  
• Managing the Transition from Aid Dependence in Sub-Saharan Africa
  
• Poverty, Income Distribution and Labour Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa
  
• Explaining African Economic Growth Performance
  
• African Imperatives in the New World Trade Order

The selection of researchers for Collaborative projects is conducted by the Secretariat with the assistance of the steering committee and the project coordinator(s). The criteria for selection comprise primarily the ability to deliver a quality product, and secondarily, equity.