Thematic Research
Thematic Research
The AERC thematic involves conceptualization, framing, design and analysis of key economic research questions of relevance to policy making in Africa.
The AERC thematic research programme – which is how AERC began three decades ago – has evolved over time as the primary focus for capacity building in policy-oriented economic research for early career African researchers. It involves conceptualization, framing, design and analysis of key economic research questions of relevance to policy making in Africa. The mentorship of researchers and Collaborative Phd Programme (CPP) candidates primarily takes place through the week-long biannual research workshop, as described below. Although thematic research is a primary vehicle for capacity building, the process is highly competitive, with a very high attrition rate at the new proposal stage.
Design Feature and Peer Review
The thematic research programme uses a unique framework combining learning-by-doing by researchers, peer review, mentoring and networking through the biannual research workshop, with skills improvement through technical workshops and visiting scholars programmes. Research capacity building under this modality is organized around five broad themes (or research groupings) that also integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender, governance and institutions analysis. These are:
- Group A: Poverty, labour markets and income distribution
- Group B: Macroeconomic policy and growth
- Group C: Finance and resource mobilization
- Group D: Production, trade and economic integration
- Group E: Agriculture, climate change and natural resource management
The set themes are constantly reviewed and revised to ensure continued policy relevance for the region. For example, the themes have evolved over time from a consolidation of macroeconomic and trade issues to make room for the introduction of the theme on poverty and labour markets and now the incorporation of issues on agriculture, climate change natural resource management. The “agriculture, climate change and natural resource management” theme was introduced as part of the new innovations of the AERC 2015-2020 Strategic Plan.
Early career and senior researchers are encouraged to CLICK HERE for the requirements of the open call for research proposals.
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BIANNUAL RESEARCH WORKSHOP AND PLENARY CONFERENCE
The biannual research workshop is perhaps one of the greatest innovations and enduring features of the AERC research capacity building modality. The biannual workshop is a flagship event that brings together the largest gathering of economics researchers, including AERC PhD researchers and policymakers from across the continent, resource persons from Africa and the rest of the world.
One of the key features of the biannual research workshop is the plenary session. This is a one-day conference that features three to four state-of-the-art papers addressing issues of contemporary policy interest to Africa, produced and delivered by experienced and leading economists, drawn from around the globe.
AERC plenary sessions serve at least three purposes:
- They inform AERC researchers on emerging issues of importance to Africa’s development;
- They allow for deep interactions between policymakers and researchers; and
- They provide a platform for early-career researchers to learn from accomplished researchers and a forum for signaling directions for future research.
The biannual workshop links AERC researchers, including CPP researchers, to their peers to receive constructive comments and mentoring. The researchers are also linked to a group of dedicated and highly experienced professional economists, who serve as resource persons, who provide guidance and mentorship to the researchers, ensuring that the conceptualization of research questions, the design of research, the analysis of data, presentation and interpretation of research findings, among other things, are accurate and consistent with international standards of research.The biannual workshop also attracts researchers from international organizations (e.g., World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank, among others) interested in showcasing their research findings to African researchers and policy makers.
They also provide a way to monitor progress and the quality of research on a continuous basis. These workshops allow for effective peer pressure while fostering interaction and networking among the researchers themselves, and with the guidance and mentorship by resource persons. The regularity of the workshops enforces scheduled delivery of research reports and timely completion of CPP theses.
They also provide a way to monitor progress and the quality of research on a continuous basis. These workshops allow for effective peer pressure while fostering interaction and networking among the researchers themselves, and with the guidance and mentorship by resource persons. The regularity of the workshops enforces scheduled delivery of research reports and timely completion of CPP theses.
TECHNICAL WORKSHOP
As part of research capacity building, AERC regularly convenes methodology workshops designed to sharpen research skills and expose current and potential researchers in the network to relevant developments and tools for implementing their research projects. These provide in-depth, hands-on experience with various research techniques.
Technical workshops offered by AERC are of two types, defined by the capacity level of the groups of researchers being targeted. At the lower end is the “research methods, proposal writing and presentation skills” technical training workshop, which primarily focuses on building the research capacity of participants from underrepresented groups, including participants from fragile and post conflict countries, as well as women. The goal is to “bridge” them through a formal training, and post training mentorship by the instructor, so they get to the level of competency expected of thematic research. This enhances their chances of successfully competing in thematic research.
At the higher end is a slew of specialised methodological workshops targeted to researchers who are already research active (and competent). The goal is to retool and upskill these researchers to ensure they remain at the frontier in terms of research competency. Because of the level of rigour and skill required of these specialised courses, the workshops are convened by leading scholars in the respective areas. Among the specialized courses that AERC has offered recently in this category are:
Technical workshops offered by AERC are of two types, defined by the capacity level of the groups of researchers being targeted. At the lower end is the “research methods, proposal writing and presentation skills” technical training workshop, which primarily focuses on building the research capacity of participants from underrepresented groups, including participants from fragile and post conflict countries, as well as women. The goal is to “bridge” them through a formal training, and post training mentorship by the instructor, so they get to the level of competency expected of thematic research. This enhances their chances of successfully competing in thematic research.
At the higher end is a slew of specialised methodological workshops targeted to researchers who are already research active (and competent). The goal is to retool and upskill these researchers to ensure they remain at the frontier in terms of research competency. Because of the level of rigour and skill required of these specialised courses, the workshops are convened by leading scholars in the respective areas. Among the specialized courses that AERC has offered recently in this category are:
- Time-series econometrics
- Computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling
- Survey methodology
- Panel data econometrics
- Game theory
- Gender and economic analysis
Participants in these workshops are chosen from AERC network researchers and other upcoming researchers who are undertaking or likely to undertake projects requiring the respective skills. In addition, participants are selected to achieve equity by promoting the participation of Francophone, women and other under-represented groups.
BRIDGE PROGRAMME
This innovative programme is a distinguishing feature of the AERC 2015 – 2020 Strategic Plan, and is targeted at participants (and potential researchers) from fragile and post conflict countries, including Francophone researchers (underrepresented countries and groups). The bridge programme is founded on the fact that the current levels of participation by these groups in AERC research and training activities is unsatisfactory, thus requiring a ‘free standing’ programme to allow for scale. The goal of the bridge programme is to achieve enhanced participation of underrepresented countries, groups and institutions, particularly those with fragile and post conflict status, in the highly competitive AERC research and training activities.
The Bridge Programme takes a multi-pronged approach that includes sensitization visits, special technical workshops, proposal development grants and mentorship, among other things. The programme begins with the offering of a special technical workshop on Research Methods, Proposal Writing and Presentation Skills to participants from the underrepresented countries. The topics covered during the technical workshop aim at familiarizing researchers from these countries with proposal writing skills, presentation skills and analytical tools and software as part of developing their capacity to engage in policy-oriented economic research and analysis.What is unique about the bridge programme is the hands-on mentoring of the participants by the course instructor. Following the technical workshop, participants engage directly with the course instructor over a period of about three months to develop their research proposals. In addition to providing technical support to the participants post the workshop, the hands-on mentoring helps to cultivate interest in undertaking research among the workshop participants. Promising proposals receive proposal development grants to afford the researchers an opportunity to develop their mini proposals into full-fledged proposals to be submitted to thematic research. In addition, prior to finalising their proposals, the grant recipients are invited to observe the biannual research workshop, and to have a side workshop at the biannual where they present their proposals and benefit from feedback by the thematic resource persons.
VISITING SCHOLARS PROGRAMMES
Currently, AERC has three active visiting scholars’ programmes targeted primarily to thematic researchers:
- AERC/IMF visiting scholars programme
- AERC/AFRCE visiting scholars programme
- AERC/CERDI/FERDI visiting scholars programme.
The AERC/IMF Visiting Scholars Programme
The AERC/IMF Visiting Scholars Programme, which started in May 1994, has benefited more than 180 network researchers. The programme makes it possible for AERC researchers to access the excellent facilities and staff of the Fund, enhancing the quality of their research through mentorship by IMF staff, and also enabling them to establish new, and deepen existing, networks. Participation in the programme is open to all AERC network researchers, but is highly competitive. Shortlisting of applicants is done during the May/June and November/December biannual research workshops, where the IMF representatives and AERC Secretariat meet to discuss issues relating to the fellowship programme. The final selection is done by the IMF.
Eligibility is based on the following criteria:
- The applicant should have a pertinent on-going research project with the AERC which they intend to work on while visiting the Fund.
- Only researchers at work in progress and final research paper stage are eligible. Proposals will not be considered.
- Researcher has not participated in the IMF visiting scholars programme in the last two years.
AERC thematic researchers meeting the above criteria, and CPP students at post field research analysis stage, are eligible to compete in this programme and to submit a short proposal (maximum three pages) that describes the proposed AERC-supported research to be undertaken during the attachment. Calls are posted on the AERC website in April and October each year.
AERC-World Bank Visiting Scholars Programme
AERC and The World Bank (Africa Region Chief Economist Office (AFRCE)) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2017 for an AERC-World Bank visiting scholars programme. The objectives of the collaboration are to:
- Enhance AERC’s capacity to boost economic policy research in Sub-Saharan Africa;
- Help strengthen AERC’s global linkages in areas of economic policy, academic research, and graduate training;
- Deepen and broaden the policy impact of both AERC and AFRCE, and
- Enhance the skills and output (especially publications and courses) of individual African researchers by providing access to wider and better information, network and economic research and data accessible via the World Bank.
The programme provides for AERC researchers to visit the World Bank for up to four months, and thus benefit from mentorship by Bank staff, and from the excellent facilities at the Bank. Visiting scholars will be selected from among the research active AERC network members, including faculty, and a total of three researchers can visit each year.
Eligibility is based on the following criteria:
- Must be an AERC researcher (including PhD researchers);
- Must have an active AERC research project at least at interim/post field stage or final research paper stage; and
- The research project must be pertinent to the research agenda of the World Bank Africa Region, and relevant to African countries challenges.
AERC thematic researchers with active projects and meeting the above criteria, CPP students at post field research stage, as well as faculty, are eligible to apply. Applicants should submit a short proposal (maximum three pages) that describes the proposed AERC-supported research to be undertaken during the fellowship. Calls are posted on this website in April and October each year.
AERC-CERDI & FERDI Visiting Scholars Programme
AERC finalised a new visiting scholars’ programme with CERDI & FERDI, based in Clermont-Ferrand, France in 2016.
The AERC-CERDI & FERDI Visiting Scholars Programme provides short-term visiting fellowships (up to two months) to enable AERC network researchers to visit CERDI & FERDI in France to work on their AERC sponsored research while at the Centre, with a view to:
- Generate a publishable article from the work;
- Benefit from and enhance interaction with researchers at the Centre, including access to data and mentorship; and
- Participate in intellectual life of the centre.
In addition, the fellowship programme aims at enabling the visiting fellows to pursue new research that is of mutual interest to AERC and CERDI & FERDI, and research collaboration with the Centre’s scholars. Calls for expression of interest are published on this website in July/August of each year.
INSTITUTIONAL ATTACHMENT PROGRAMMES
The programme provides AERC network researchers with an opportunity to visit a regional research institution/centre of their choice to further their research. As with other visiting scholars programmes, the objective is to support the researcher to finalise their AERC supported research by providing a conducive environment for them to work, including opportunities for mentorship and collaboration. Under this programme, AERC will support a researcher to visit a regional research centre of their choice for a period of up to three months. Through interaction with leading scholars and others in their area of research, the researchers are exposed to international networks of accomplished researchers, which in turn help them to build new networks. The goal of this fellowship is to facilitate quality research, and thus ensure publication of the research in a reputable peer-reviewed international journal. Calls for expression of interest for this fellowship are posted on the AERC website from time to time.
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