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Consultancy
The value of women’s participation in parliament: Enhancing the evidence base - A research project
Context
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is a unique organization made up of national parliaments from around the world. We protect and build global democracy through political dialogue and concrete action.
The IPU is a vibrant and growing group. We currently have 178 Member Parliaments and 12 Associate Members. We work closely with the United Nations and other partner organizations whose goals we share.
The IPU has been a global leader in research on women in parliament for the past forty years. IPU’s research has served to set internationally recognized standards and informs the organization’s policies and technical support activities in this area.
Request for proposals to undertake research
The IPU is seeking applications from suitably qualified and experienced individuals or institutions to implement the research project described in the attached TOR.
The research would be home-based, with the possibility of travel for national case studies, between October and December 2018. The research is expected to take a total of 45 days, and time may be allocated between different members of the research team.
The available budget for this research is approximately USD 30,000 for personnel costs for the project duration. Travel and publication costs will be separate to this budget.
Research team
Proposals are required to stipulate the composition of the Research Team (maximum of three core team members).
An experienced Research Team Leader must be nominated as part of the team. The Research Team Leader will be responsible for managing other team member’s inputs, quality assuring the work of the team and ensuring it meets a high standard, and will act as the principal liaison with IPU.
Together, the Research Team is expected to:
- Refine the research questions
- Identify national case studies in consultation with the IPU
- Lead development of the research proposal and design
- Ensure implementation and data collection
- Lead data analysis
- Lead writing of survey analysis and case studies
Desired experience and qualifications
Specific requirements for the research team:
- A post-graduate degree in law, political or social sciences, or equivalent research experience;
- Ability to conduct desk research and interviews in French, English and Spanish;
- Significant knowledge of the sector(s) as demonstrated by a track record of publication of academic standard literature and/or research publications;
- Excellent research design and analysis skills including a proven track record using relevant methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative methodologies;
- Significant experience in developing country contexts;
- Significant experience in research implementation;
- Experience in reviewing and quality control of research; and
- Excellent report writing skills including the ability to simplify complex concepts.
Application process
The Proposal should address the following:
- Criteria for research team, as set out in the researcher requirements section above, including:
- CVs for each member of the team;
- Two samples of previous research published.
- A schedule and budget for each phase of work, including daily rate and an outline of anticipated additional costs.
- Reflections on the research questions and research methods, including a proposed methodology.
- Work plan with time frames, including deliverables of methodology design, case study selection, research implementation, data analysis and writing of survey analysis and case studies (see Research timeline and deliverables section in TOR).
Please note, proposals that do not meet the requirements set out above will not be considered.