Postdoctoral/Research Fellow- Governance

International Food Policy Research Institute - IFPRI
Washington, DC - United States
S: Competitive

Job Summary:

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks a qualified candidate to work as Postdoctoral Fellow or Research Fellow for its research program on "Governance for Agriculture and Rural Development”. The goal of the program, which is housed in IFPRI's Development Strategy and Governance Division (DSGD), is to conduct cutting-edge research on the governance challenges of agricultural and rural development.

Examples of research topics include the political economy of food, agricultural and natural resource management policies; implications of rural-urban migration and economic transformation for political transformation, decentralization and its impact on service (agricultural extension, rural water supply, etc.) delivery; the role of local government institutions for rural development under different forms of government; institutional structures and regulations affecting agricultural development; land governance and administration; and policy process and research-policy linkages.

The successful candidate is expected to work on governance challenges that affect agricultural and rural development in developing countries, provide leadership to IFPRI's multi-disciplinary governance team, collaborate closely with research organizations in partner countries, and engage in policy dialogue.

This is a two-year, fixed-term, exempt, renewable appointment based at IFPRI's headquarters in Washington, DC and will report to the Division Director of DSGD. Final grade level will be determined by number of years of relevant experience.

Essential Duties:

Specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Policy-Oriented Research: The Fellow is expected to use cutting-edge research methods to analyze political and administrative challenges that affect agricultural and rural development in developing countries particularly in African countries and to assess governance reform strategies that aim to address these challenges. The research will cover policy processes as well as policy implementation. The Fellow will collaborate closely with other researchers at IFPRI and with members of research organizations in host countries.
• Policy Communication and Capacity-Building: The Fellow will participate in the development and implementation of capacity building activities in partner countries, and engage in a dialogue with stakeholders and policy-makers.

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Political Science, Development Economics, Political Economy, Agricultural Economics, Public Policy, Public Administration, Sociology or closely related field.
• Experience in conducting empirical research on governance issues in developing countries in one or more of the following areas: political economy of development policies; policy processes, public sector governance and public sector reforms; decentralization and local governance
• Ability to cultivate donor interests and raise funding on research
• Strong team-building skills.
• Ability to work across disciplines.
• Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in using software for qualitative data analysis
• Knowledge about problems of agriculture and rural development in Africa.

Job summary