Antecedentes

Informal economy, i.e. "those economic activities and revenues derived from them, which altogether bypass or avoid state regulation, taxation and control" (Feige, E.L., The Underground economies, Tax evasion and information distortion, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1989, p. 1) is reducing potential fiscal revenues and having negative impact on the ability of the state to provide for public services. In such manner, this part of the economy becomes a sizeable obstacle to an economic and overall social development of the country. Grey economy endangers fiscal discipline and budgetary revenues, whereas it also negatively affects fair competition and functioning of the market. According to available estimates, grey economy amounts to 20% of the GDP, roughly the same ratio as in the case of EU member states (19.5%). It is also estimated that "illegal" work in Montenegro is most often manifested in low-profit, labor-intensive sectors, such as: trade, construction, hospitality industry, transport, agriculture and household services. This is one of the key drivers of inequality.

Therefore, the Government of Montenegro adopted a comprehensive action plan to curb grey economy by way of, inter alia:

  • Introducing zero tolerance for grey economy;
  • Ensuring smooth and efficient inter-agency collaboration, along with building administrative capacities;
  • Amending legislation on value Added Tax to introduce more rigorous fines and penalties;
  • Amending labor law in order to regulate instances where labor rights are not effectively protected, and introduce stricter penalties for non-compliance;
  • Investing additional efforts into public awareness campaign, aiming to engage the citizens in the fight against grey economy.

UNDP Montenegro has been supporting the Government of Montenegro on two fronts. Firstly, informal economy has been the focus of comprehensive research as informal employment will be featured in the 2015 National Human Development Report, UNDP’s flagship research product. On the other hand, UNDP has been supporting a project on civic engagement in curbing grey economy. Over the course of 12 months, citizens of Montenegro were reporting cases of informality via smart phone apps and toll-free lines. The Government of Montenegro created a financial incentive for citizens to participate: half of the funds generated through fines were directed to community projects proposed and voted for by the people of Montenegro. In terms of numbers, more than 4000 citizens reported over 5000 cases of informality. Inspection authorities imposed over 1.000.000 EUR of fines, half of which was invested in 10 community projects.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Objectives of the assignment:

The purpose of the assignment is to take stock of the available research, drawing particularly from the ethnographic study of people with direct experience in the grey market activities, and assist with designing follow up measures. The consultant is expected to apply design thinking to at least one business process in relation to collecting taxes and benefits stemming from labor rights.

Job content:

Under the direct supervision of UNDP Project Manager, the consultant is expected to perform the following:

  • Review available research and pertinent legislation, so as to refine the problem statement, i.e. reducing the rate of informal employment in Montenegro;
  • Prepare a plan for a one-day workshop where design thinking will be applied to flesh out the most effective corrective measures that Government partners and UNDP Montenegro could roll out;
  • Engage with stakeholders, as necessary, during a field visit to Montenegro;
  • Run the one-day workshop with stakeholders, hosted by UNDP Montenegro;
  • Run a one-day capacity building workshop for UNDP that would serve as an effective introduction to design thinking;
  • Prepare a final report with recommendations, based on the review of research, stakeholder engagement and workshop results.

The expected results:

The consultant will be tasked to produce:

  • An agenda for the design thinking workshops (one workshop with stakeholders, one workshop for UNDP), with a brief guide that depicts the key segments and their envisaged outputs;
  • A set of recommendations for redesigning one business process;
  • A final activity report with a list of useful resources.

Timing and reporting:

The design thinking consultant will be responsible to provide updates in relation to key milestones (in a brief report structure) in writing to the Project Manager. The report is to contain sufficient detail and information that would allow for the appraisal of the effectiveness of the envisaged activities, as well indicate any corrective action needed.

Time duration and travel:

The consultant will be engaged for approximately 30 days, in the period between March and mid-May 2015. The assignment will require travel (up to five business days).

Competencias

Corporate competencies:

  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional competencies:

  • Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
  • Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Demonstrates excellent social, communication skills and interpersonal skills;
  • Demonstrates ability to communicate complex, abstract concepts using both visual and written language
  • Attention to detail, excellent time management skills, ability to: 1) Learn and grasp new concepts quickly, 2) Research, analyze, evaluate and synthesize information; 3) Produce compelling reports;

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

  • University degree in social sciences. Advanced degree would be an asset.

Experience:

  • At least two years of professional experience with design thinking, including providing assistance to local and/or national governments;
  • Experience with working with a diverse team and being able to parse through large amounts of information in order to streamline and/or simplify concepts and/or standard operating procedures;
  • IT skills including word-processing, database applications, presentation software and use of internet.

Language:

  • Fluency in English.

Application procedure:

  • Interested candidates are requested to submit their applications by April 12th,  2015 by using the Apply now button;
  • All applicants are requested to upload a duly completed and signed Personal History Form (P11), which serves as the equivalent of the CV. P11 form can be downloaded from http://www.me.undp.org/content/montenegro/en/home/operations/jobs.html . Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.
  • The short-listed candidates only will be invited for an interview.

UNDP is an equal opportunity employer.