Deadline: 17 April 2020
The Inter-American Development Bank invites you to submit you proposal on “Boosting Economic Growth and Development by Closing Gender Gaps in Southern Cone Countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay)” for the event to be held on September 11, 2020 in Washington D.C.
This call aims to support research proposals that contribute to the measurement of gender gaps associated with economic opportunities, especially in sectors that are typically neglected, and propose ways of closing those gaps in Southern Cone Countries. The call further aims to fund studies that try to understand how closing gender gaps can boost productivity, growth, and development in these countries.
IDB is interested in the study of all types of gender gaps that can potentially restrict growth and development in the Southern Cone region. However, preference will be given to proposals that focus on gender gaps in areas where there is still limited information due to lack of data and/or methodological challenges such as the following:
- Migration: The massive migration movements taking place in the LAC region are different from previous migration waves. Women have played a central role (or “have participated more actively and independently”), although this trend has not been adequately documented or analyzed.
- Trade: The LAC region has high levels of participation of women in self-employment and entrepreneurship. Even though there are some studies focusing on this sector, few studies have looked at gender gaps in exporting firms in the region.
- Access to public transportation: Rapid urbanization has exacerbated urban sprawl in large Latin American cities. Geographic segregation is closely linked to economic and social segregation in most modern cities in the region, since the most disadvantaged tend to live further away from the city center, in slums or peripheral locations.
- Taxation: Several countries in the region have undertaken large tax reforms to foster formality. Since women-led businesses tend to be less productive than their male-led counterparts, these reforms could potentially widen gender gaps in productivity among micro and small businesses.
- Financial access: Financial institutions in the region have not been able to catch up with the changing demand for credit in LAC. Female-led households are no longer the exception, and the region registers high rates of self-employment among women.
- Tourism: Tourism is an important determinant of growth in some countries in the Southern Cone and has the potential to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. Tourism offers both opportunities and challenges for gender equality.
Methodological Aspects
This call for proposals is open to the use of alternative empirical methods, but the proposal must include a strong quantitative approach. Preference will be given to proposals that contribute in at least one of the following dimensions:
- Analysis of new survey or administrative data,
- Comparative analysis across countries in the Southern Cone and a benchmark,
- Implementation of a rigorous empirical strategy to isolate gender gaps (i.e., experimental or audit studies, quasi-experimental techniques, etc.), and/or
- Quantification of the impact of gender gaps on productivity and/or economic growth.
Financial Aspects
The IDB will contribute with up to USD18,000 or its equivalent in local currency to the total budget of each study. The total amount granted would depend on the proposed budget and the scope of the work proposed.
The payment schedule is as follows:
- 30 percent within 30 days of signing the formal agreement with the IDB.
- 30 percent within 30 days of presentation and approval by the IDB of the first draft of the research paper.
- 40 percent within 30 days of presentation and approval by the IDB of the final research paper.
Selection Criteria
Consulting individuals or firms will be selected according to three main factors:
- Relevance. Researchers must spell out in detail the relevance of the country/countries case study and the period/episode chosen to meet the overall project objectives stated above.
- Data and methodology. The proposals should explain in as much detail as possible how they will approach the subject under study. Data collection issues and estimation strategy must be described in detail.
- Experience. The relevance of the researchers’ experience for the proposed project will be an important criterion. Priority will be given to proposals presented by researchers who demonstrate previous experience in areas related to applied methods and gender studies.
For more information, visit https://events.iadb.org/calendar/event/21901?lang=en