UNDP Jobs - 49596- Research Assistant Intern on Economic and Poverty

Research Assistant Intern on Economic and Poverty Analysis

Location :

Vientiane, LAO PDR

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

01-Oct-2014

Application Deadline :

22-Sep-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

5-6 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

5-6 months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The Government of Lao PDR has set graduation from Least Development Country (LDC) status as a policy goal to be achieved by 2020. The 8th National Socio Economic Development Plan (NSEDP), which covers the period 2016-2020, will accordingly focus on this, with development partners providing support to Lao PDR expected to align their assistance with the 8th NSEDP. The 8th NSEDP is currently under preparation and is expected to be endorsed by the National Assembly in June 2015.

UNDP is a key development partner supporting the process of NSEDP formulation. The Poverty Unit in the UNDP Country Office in Lao PDR is working closely with the Ministry of Planning and Invesment in producting a result and outcome based plan which will center the LDC graduation by 2020. However, in light of the new Country Programme Document 2016-2020, the Unit is also exploring new focus areas and currently designing new assistance which will still support the government in achievement of graduation from LDC status by the target date.

The first programme will potentially involve developing secondary and tertiary cities as development poles. This will seek to strengthen economic linkages between towns and cities and surrounding rural areas and will build on the symbiotic relationship between towns and their rural hinterlands. Thus towns and cities demand food, other raw materials and labour from surrounding rural areas. This is turn creates wealth in rural areas which may be expressed as demand for products from the urban areas (thereby encouraging urban growth) or in investment or better housing in rural areas. The availability of better paid jobs in urban areas encourages the rural workforce, particularly the young and mobile, to increase their skills in order to access these jobs. Growing wealth in urban areas is also expressed in demand for higher quality and more diverse food products, so providing a further stimulus to agriculture to grow and diversify;
The second programme which eventually could combine with the first one, promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship, would provide support to formal sector self-employment through training, mentoring, start-ups grants and help with business registration. The second element would involve the introduction of entrepreneurship in the secondary school curriculum, potentially for ages 15 upwards. This would comprise classes in business-related topics, sometimes linked to formal disciplines (including economic and finance). The classes, which could potentially form an optional part of the curriculum (so that participants could be self-selecting), would also be linked to competitions within and between schools in Lao PDR and internationally.

In this connection, UNDP Lao PDR is seeking a research assistant to support the Poverty Reduction Unit to conduct relevant researches/analytical works related to the above topics. These include studying of relevant material or papers to support the preparation of new UNDP CPD as well as that will subsequently feed in the preparation of the MPI programme final evaluation taking place in early 2015 and the LDC graduation.

The objectives of the assignment:

The objectives of this internship are to provide opportunities with the intern to:

Enhance the his/her professional knowledge and skills through practical hands-on experience and involvement in the analytical works for the poverty reduction programme at UNDP Lao PDR;
Enhance their knowledge and acquire practical experience within the UN system;
Expose him/herself to the working environment of a multilateral organization;
Understand better the UNDP’s key practice areas particularly poverty reduction;
Understand better the development context of the Landlocked country such as the Lao PDR as well as its strategy and status for LDC graduation.

Direct Supervision:

Direct supervision: Programme Analyst in the Poverty Reduction Unit.

Guidance: Assistant Resident Representative / Head of Poverty Reduction Unit.

Compensation:

The intern will not be paid for his/her work. All costs such as living expenses, travel, housing, and any other costs related to the internship must be borne by the intern unless provided for by a sponsoring institution.

UNDP Lao PDR will not cover any costs except for activities related to the implementation of projects to which the intern is assigned.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Assistant Resident Representative / Head of Poverty Reduction Unit and the direct supervision of the respective Programme Analyst, the Intern will:

Involve the tasks related to the preparation of programme documents which will describe and set out the outcomes, outputs and feasibility of interventions in the above areas. This will mainly involve research and investigation in a number of areas such that the interventions can be fully contextualised and take account of real needs.

The research and investigation will be in, but may not be restricted to, the following areas:

Secondary and tertiary cities as development poles

the scale and characteristics of domestic migration and commuting flows into selected towns and cities, including the professional background, skills and training of those migrating and the jobs they occupy after migration or though commuting;
job vacancies, numbers of applications and forecast demand for labour needed in the short and medium term;
patterns of enterprise development and employment in the selected towns and cities;
local business development incentives and policies, including linkages with Special Economic Zones (if any);
demand for agricultural produce from the surrounding areas and volumes of rural-urban trade and produce flows;
human development deficits as a result of urbanisation, including those involving slum development, deficiencies in service provision in health and education, and under-provision or unreliability of utilities; and
mapping the support being given or planning by other development partners in vocational training, agricultural extension, employment services and enterprise support and development in the target areas for the assistance.

Promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship

characteristics of self-employment formation, growth, employment effects, and tax payments in Lao PDR, other lower middle income countries and ASEAN Member States;
evaluation findings of previous support to self-employment and entrepreneurship in Lao PDR and other lower middle income countries and ASEAN Member States;
educational curriculae and processes for entrepreneurship training at secondary school and possibly tertiary level outside Lao PDR and evaluations of actions in this area; and
mapping of other development partners’ current and planned interventions in the area of entrepreneurship and self-employment promotion.

Additonal requirements:

Familiarise with the country’s poverty profile, progress towards MDGs, LDC graduation in order to provide appropriate feedback to the ARR and Programme Analyst; and
Undertake other tasks as assigned by the ARR and responsible Programme Analyst.

Competencies

Strong written and verbal communication skills;
Excellent computer skills;
Excellent research and analytical skills;
Understanding of labour market analysis, vocational education and training, agriculture development process, and entrepreneurship is an asset;
Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to deliver outputs within assigned deadlines;
Excellent interpersonal skills and objectivity.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Outstanding academic success. Currently enrolled in a Master’s programme in economics or international development.

Experience:

Experience working collaboratively in a team structure in a multicultural environment sould be diesirable;
Familiarity with UN system and role of key stakeholders in the area of development is an advantage.

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English.

Condition:

Interns are not financially remunerated by UNDP.