Deadline: 28-Apr-23
The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is seeking proposals for the Kenya Analytical Program on Forced Displacement (KAP-FD) Project.
The Socioeconomic Surveys (SESs), the Kenya Continuous Household Survey on Refugees and Host Communities (KCHS Integrated Survey), and the Kenya COVID-19 Rapid Response Phone Survey (RRPS) produced broad socioeconomic data on host communities and forcibly displaced in Kenya. Building upon the fruitful outcomes of these preceding projects, the World Bank intends to gather more granular evidence under the Kenya Analytical Program on Forced Displacement (KAP-FD). KAP-FD seeks to, among other things, build the capacity of early-career researchers in the country to use displacement data. The capacity of local academics will be built by facilitating and financing research projects utilizing the data produced under KAP-FD and/or previous projects. By encouraging and financing projects of local researchers, capacity for displacement related research will be enhanced, while ensuring the wide use of data collected in World Bank supported surveys.
African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is a premier capacity building institution in SubSaharan Africa with a mission to build rigor in research, training and policy outreach. Since 1988, AERC has provided capacity building to over 4,500 early and middle career researchers in SubSaharan Africa through the Thematic Research Program. The theme on forced displacement is aligned to AERC Strategic Plan 2020-2025 which has a focus on inclusivity of those underrepresented in Sub-Saharan Africa’s development agenda and research. The Thematic Research Program provides a platform for expert mentorship and peer review of early career researchers’ work. The model for implementing the AERC-World Bank Thematic Research on Forced Development is premised on thematic research program structure which will run concurrently with Biannual Research Workshops held twice in a year in June and December. In this model, capacity building is realized where researchers attend presentation sessions and are mentored by expert resource persons and get feedback from their peers.
Purpose of the Call
- The World Bank, in collaboration with AERC, is pleased to invite individual or team research proposals under KAP-FD. The purpose of this call is to promote empirical research on forced displacement in Kenya utilizing selected datasets. The call targets early career researchers based in Kenya who hold a Masters degree or are PhD students studying Economics, Sociology, Demography, Migration or closely related courses, enrolled in Kenyan Universities. Recent graduates (within the last three years) based in Kenya will also be considered.
- The submitted proposals are encouraged to align with the following themes:
- Employment and livelihoods
- Education
- Migration and social cohesion
- Vulnerability and resilience to shocks
- Gender, age, and diversity approach should be used to explore the themes.
Description of the Datasets
- The datasets associated with this call include the SESs, RRPS and KCHS integrated survey. Comparisons may also be made with other surveys produced by KNBS, particularly the KCHS for nationals and the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey (KIHBS). The SESs, RRPS, and KCHS Integrated Survey data can be accessed from the World Bank’s or UNHCR’s microdata library using the Central Data Catalog while the KCHS for nationals and KIHBS datasets can be obtained from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). The links are provided in this call.
- The SESs datasets contain information on characteristics of refugees and nationals, levels of access to basic services, employment and livelihoods, social cohesion, displacement trajectories, and specific vulnerabilities. The SESs produced data that is comparable to KCHS for nationals and KIHBS. The data were collected from refugees in Kalobeyei (2018), Kakuma (2019-2020), and in urban areas (2020-2021). RRPS were implemented to track the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and to investigate resilience to shocks among other things. The RRPS data were collected in eight waves between May 2020 and June 2022. The surveys were implemented using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and collected data on household characteristics, food security, employment and income loss, health, and knowledge on COVID-19.
- The KCHS Integrated Survey collected data on labor, consumption, vulnerabilities and social cohesion, among other things, from refugees and nationals in Nairobi in 2021. The KCHS for nationals provides key socioeconomic data on a quarterly basis, focusing on labor and household budget among other things. It collects data from all counties, including those that host refugees. The KIHBS collected data over a 12-month period (2015 – 2016) on household characteristics, housing, education, health, nutrition, household income and credit, household transfers, information and communication technology, domestic tourism, shocks to household welfare and access to justice. Data were collected from all the counties using the national sampling frame.
Eligibility Criteria
- Have completed a Masters degree OR are PhD students studying Economics, Sociology, Demography, Migration or closely related courses, enrolled in Kenyan Universities OR have graduated within the last three years.
- Proficiency in quantitative data analysis.
- Be at the start of their career or not older than 35 years.
- Demonstrated interest in forced displacement research.
Selection Process
- The applications will be assessed based on a number of factors which include: how promising and relevant the topic is to the field of forced displacement in Kenya; the candidate’s technical strength to handle quantitative data; clarity of intent; quality of proposals; and consistency with the eligibility criteria. There will be a selection committee to review all the applications and shortlist potential awardees.
For more information, visit African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).
