Consultant being recruited for is:
• Academic Specialist in Sociology, Youth and/or Development
Project: Youth and Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) Research and Learning Project
Background
USAID released its first Agency-wide Youth in Development (YID) Policy in November 2012, and since then has been focused on policy implementation. One key component of policy implementation involves assessing existing knowledge and research related to youth programming, identifying any potential gaps in the evidence, and filling those gaps to equip field officers to effectively design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based youth programming.
Project Overview
Counterpart International is implementing the Youth and DRG Research and Learning Project as a part of the Global Civil Society Strengthening (GCSS) Leader with Associates (LWA) Program which provides technical and thought leadership on civil society issues, facilitates creative new programming ideas, and assists in knowledge management that feeds content into the broader USAID civil society strategic framework. The goal of the project is to enhance the effectiveness of DRG programming which includes the areas of Leadership, Organizations, Civic Education, and Voice and Civic Engagement and has a specific focus on youth by strengthening the knowledge and skills of the USAID field officers and other staff in the design, management, and creation of evidence-based evaluation of youth programming. The project has the following core objectives:
Objective 1: Identification of current evidence of what works or doesn’t work in Youth and DRG programming as well as a prioritization of critical knowledge gaps that need to be addressed through the DRG Center’s Youth and DRG Learning Agenda.
Objective 2: Creation of technical guidance and analytical tools to assist USAID field officers in designing, managing, and implementing evidence-based youth programming and in integrating youth development principles and approaches into general DRG programs.
To achieve these two objectives, Counterpart International is seeking a Research Team of three consultants consisting of a an Evaluation Expert, an Academic Specialist with expertise in public policy, democracy and/or governance, and an Academic Specialist with expertise in youth, sociology and/or development. This team will be supported by a Team Leader and Project Assistant from Counterpart International. Over a seven month period, this coordinated group of specialists will collaboratively produce the materials outlined in the diagram below. The implementation process illustrated below requires close coordination to identify existing documented methodologies and tools that lend themselves to effective program design, management and evaluation of evidence-based youth programming. The majority of the work detailed below in the individual scopes of work would take place between December 2014 and March 2015.
Sequencing of Project Activities
Scope of Work: Academic Specialist in Sociology, Youth and/or Development
The role of the Academic Specialists shown in Activity 1 and 2 is to carry out an extensive literature review of existing academic research and thought in the fields of sociology, youth, public policy, governance, anthropology and/or development studies. The purpose is to examine current theory and research in the four focus areas of Leadership, Organizations, Civic Education, and Voice/Engagement to supplement the findings in the Youth and DRG Programming and Program Evaluation Assessment Report. It is envisioned that the Academic Research Review will allow for the latest academic thought to constructively inform USAID’s youth and DRG programming. The results of the academic research review will be captured in a report. The findings of the report will be vetted with peers and DRG practitioners for feedback during an Academic Review Session.
Tasks
• Conduct an Academic Research Review to examine current theory and the balance of credible evidence pertaining to youth Leadership, Organizations, Civic Education, and Voice/Engagement to supplement the findings in the Youth and DRG Programming and Program Evaluation Assessment Report;
• It is envisioned that the Academic Research Review will allow for the latest academic thought to constructively inform USAID’s youth and DRG programming. The academic specialist(s) will specify the criteria according to which evidence is included or excluded from consideration. Generate a draft Academic Review Report that summarizes theoretical and empirical extant research on the four focus areas listed above that may be relevant to youth and DRG planning;
• Work with the Research Team to synthesize these two base reports into a brief Summary of Findings matrix;
• Identify peer academics to suggest supplemental sources - both qualitative or quantitative - to supplement the report; conduct interviews with relevant subject matter experts as needed;
• In collaboration with the Research Team Lead, participate in and co-lead sessions at the Academic Review Session attended by peer academics and select practitioners;
• Participate in the Technical Guidance Review Session which will serve as the mechanism to gather feedback on the Technical Guidance and Toolkit for Youth and DRG.
Deliverables
• Academic Review Report that summarizes theoretical and empirical extant research on the four focus areas (including but not limited to research methodology, sources, categorization of findings per four key areas, gaps in knowledge, recommendations);
• The list of academic peer participants in the workshop/review;
• Attendance at the Technical Guidance Review Session;
• If applicable, the organization of the workshop/review session at a hosting university.
Requirements:
• PhD in relevant field;
• 10 years experience working in relevant field (inclusive of doctoral study);
• Recent experience working on research team that required collaboration with other team members to produce deliverables;
• Knowledge of USAID and/ or international development a plus.
Submit resume, references, and list of publications and research projects
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