Dissertation Research Fellowships

The Index also takes into consideration the empowerment of women compared with men in the same household, based on asking women and men the same survey questions.

Objectives of the Fellowship

The objectives of sponsoring PhD work on the WEAI are the following:

Research proposals supported under this call must be focused entirely or mostly on one or more of 19 FTF focus countries.

The FTF focus countries eligible for research proposals are Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

More information about FTF and its activities in those countries can be found on the FTF website.

Proposals submitted for this fellowship have the option of using quantitative methods, qualitative methods or mixed methods.

Applicants may propose to use secondary data (as specified below) or collect their own data. However, proposals including primary data collection or participation at some level in fieldwork are highly encouraged.

Applicants can propose use of IFPRI pilot survey data or use of/field participation in ongoing FTF monitoring baselines, which will be granted and coordinated with FTF contingent upon funding of proposals.

Countries for which applicants can propose to participate in FTF baseline collection are: Cambodia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tajikistan, and Zambia.

Examples of potential research proposals could include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Using mixed methods to better understand key questions and assumptions surrounding women’s decisionmaking and autonomy in agriculture-related production and how these dynamics may affect measurement and data collection, with implications for index application in Uganda and Ethiopia.

2. Using quantitative data to validate diverse measures of time use indicators using data from Cambodia and how variations in these indicators have implications for the WEAI and gendered program evaluation.

3. Program evaluation of a specific agriculture and food security intervention in Honduras using quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods using the WEAI as a key outcome.

4. Examining relationships between the WEAI domains or indicators and agricultural productivity or household food security in Bangladesh to estimate how increasing women’s empowerment could contribute to other policy objectives.

Three research fellowships are expected to be awarded funding.

Research Fellowships - Who may Apply

An eligible candidate for a WEAI Dissertation Fellowship will have the following criteria:

Research Fellowships - Funding

Fellowships will provide support for up to two years and up to $30,000 total. The fellowships must be held for a single continuous period and are expected to start September 2012.

The proposal may request funding for the following expenses, as needed:

Upon completion of the field-work the student will present his/ her preliminary findings to IFPRI, USAID or other stakeholders in Washington DC or in country of fieldwork.

A copy of the dissertation will be provided to IFPRI upon completion.

Research Fellowships Application Deadline: July 31

For more scholarship information, please look at: Dissertation Research Fellowships

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