Deadline: 21 July 2019
UNU-WIDER, the National Treasury of the Republic of South Africa (NT), and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) invite proposals from qualified researchers for detailed economic analysis and research of topics in enterprise development for job creation and growth.
The aim of the programme is to enhance economic research, capacity-building, and policy dialogue in South Africa and the Southern African region.
This request is for research proposals that will advance the SA-TIED programme’s work on enterprise development for job creation and growth. The recent availability of South African tax administrative datasets for research purposes creates new opportunities for policy-relevant, evidence-based research on questions about private sector development, firm behaviour, job creation, and productivity.
What is expected of researchers
All successful applicants will be expected to:
- Produce a relevant research paper of sufficient quality to merit publication in the WIDER Working Paper series. Previous papers using the tax data and topics previously explored can be found here. Ongoing research using the tax data can be found here. Please review these studies to avoid duplication of research.
- Include in the research paper a data appendix of datasets and variables used.
- Sign agreements and abide by all restrictions imposed by SARS, NT, and other government agencies with respect to disclosure of confidential firm and individual-specific information.
- Attend a 1–1.5-day workshop in South Africa (venue TBA) where work in progress will be presented to other contracted researchers and to select international experts.
- Be flexible in research approach, particularly for those researchers planning on exploiting datasets that have been lightly analysed to date.
Please note: UNU-WIDER only commissions original research which has not been published elsewhere. To ensure the quality and originality of research, all submitted studies are analysed with the iThenticate software at the first deliverable stage and prior to publication.
Eligibility Criteria
- Proposals from individuals, groups of individuals, and non-profit organizations are welcome.
- Researchers can be based in South Africa or internationally, and can combine researchers from different countries and institutions. Researcher(s) with successful proposals will gain access to generally inaccessible tax administrative datasets at NT, subject to agreed restrictions to preserve confidentiality.
- UNU-WIDER, the National Treasury of the Republic of South Africa (NT), and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) invite proposals from qualified researchers for detailed economic analysis and research of topics in enterprise development for job creation and growth. Researchers are encouraged to use the new administrative datasets in their research, but applied work based on other data will also be considered. Special emphasis will be given to research teams that include junior and early-career researchers.
- In addition to generating policy-relevant research, one of the objectives of this request is to facilitate policy dialogue by engaging with researchers on policy-relevant issues. Special efforts are undertaken to ensure that that the findings from this research are communicated effectively to all stakeholders — including the academic community, policy makers, and civil society via policy summaries and dialogue.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply online via given website.
For more information, please visit https://www.wider.unu.edu/opportunity/enterprise-development-job-creation-and-growth