April 7, 2007

MEDALS FOR RESEARCH ON DEVELOPMENT

THE MEDALS The Medals for Outstanding Research on Development carry cash prizes of US $75,000 plus travel expenses to GDN’s Ninth Annual Global Development Conference in Brisbane, Australia in January, 2008. Two prize medals—one of US $10,000 plus travel and another of US $5,000 plus travel—will be granted for completed research papers in each of five themes, described below. The Medals will be awarded based upon the degree of innovation and the quality of content. The deadline for submitting the online registration form, abstract, completed paper and CVs of applicants (team members) for the Medals is September 17, 2007. The competition rules and guidelines are described in detail below. Eligibility Criteria The Medals are open only to citizens and permanent residents of developing or transition countries. Citizens of developing and transition countries temporarily residing in a developed country for no more than five years are eligible to apply. The upper age limit for applicants is 45 years. Staff members of multilateral and bilateral organizations (The World Bank, IMF, IADB, UN agencies, DfID, AusAID, etc.) are not eligible to apply for the Medals. Past Medal winners and finalists are not eligible to apply with the same or similar paper. Papers resulting from other GDN funded activities (Global Research Projects/Regional Research Competitions) may not be submitted as applications. The Research paper Research papers for the Medals will be considered in the following 5 themes: 1. Fragile States: Addressing Vulnerability 2. Household Exposure to Risk: Effects on Poverty 3. The Rule of Law: Providing Security for Development 4. Women’s Rights, Security and Development: Challenges and Opportunities 5. Natural Resources: Risks and Implications for Sustaining Development See below for a more detailed description of these topics. The Application Process Deadline: September 17, 2007: Submission of online registration form, a 200 to 300 word abstract, completed research paper and CVs of the applicants (all team members). Note: For a paper with more than one author, only the principal author should submit an application. However, the institutional affiliation, position, e-mail address, citizenship and current residence of each co-author must also be included in the application along with their CVs. Guidelines: Applications must indicate the theme under which the paper is being submitted. Applications that do not fall within one of the five themes will not be considered. A paper can only be submitted under one category. An applicant may submit more than one paper. A paper can be submitted by one or more authors. In case of papers written by more than one author, all authors must meet the eligibility criteria. Papers must be between 6,000 to 12,000 words. Type should be Times New Roman 11 font with single line spacing. Submitted papers should follow the naming convention: o Lastname_paper.doc or Lastname_paper.pdf Papers for all themes must be submitted in English except in theme 2: Household Exposure to Risk: Effects on Poverty under which submissions are also invited in French. Papers for the Medals competition must not have been published in an internationally distributed journal or book before June 30, 2006. All applications and documents must be submitted as electronic files online at http://opa.gdnet.org . If you are not able to submit your application through the website, please contact us at awards@gdnet.org, the subject line: ‘Medal – theme title’. The Selection Process The submissions will be reviewed by independent experts in each category. For each category, the corresponding experts will submit a short list of 5 candidates along with the explanation of their selection to GDN. The finalists will be announced by November 21, 2007. Short-listed candidates for the Medals will present their work at GDN’s Ninth Annual Global Development Conference in Brisbane, Australia from January 29-31, 2008. Travel and expenses for one principal researcher of each short-listed submission will be covered by GDN. A selection committee will select and announce the first and second place Medal winners at the conference. In selecting the Medal winners, the substantive contribution of the research to its particular field and degree of innovation will be emphasized. The selection committee reserves the right not to award one or both medals in any category. Selection Committee The selection committee for this year's competition has not yet been determined. The selection committee of last year’s competition included Alan Winters, World Bank (Chair); Priya Nanda, International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), USA; Iryna Akimova , Bureau of Economic and Social Technologies, Ukraine; Rachel Nugent, Population Reference Bureau, USA; Gary Fields, Cornell University, USA; Shlomo Weber, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium; Anthony D’Costa, University of Washington, USA; Mourji Fouzi , University Hassan II, Morocco; Edward Chen, Lingnan University, Hong Kong; Ulrike Grote, Institute for Environmental Economics and World Trade, Germany and Mario Holzner, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW), Austria . Description of Topics Theme 1 - Fragile States Addressing Vulnerability However they are described—for example, weak, failing, or fragile—the ineffectiveness of some states in providing even a basic level of services to the majority of their communities presents a problem that has proven very difficult to overcome. State fragility or weakness may be defined and measured in terms of its lack of capacity to carry out the legitimate functions of the state, including the ability to provide law and order and basic services to its people. Previous research has shown that fragile states tend to be disproportionately poor and have difficulty performing the core functions of statehood, including the provision of basic physical security and enforcement of the rule of law. These states are also often associated with poor infrastructure, underdeveloped markets, the lack of economic growth, and ineffective use of foreign aid. The factors causing state ineffectiveness may be political, institutional, cultural, economic, or environmental, or related to ethnic, religious, or ideological differences. Strategies, measures and incentives for coping with or countering the drivers of state fragility may include the modification of institutions such as constitutions, electoral systems, parliaments, the judiciary, and the security apparatus, or micro-level strategies such as enhancing the role of women in conflict resolution. This recognition of the many possible causes of and responses to state ineffectiveness, and the contributions that the various academic disciplines can make to understand and overcome the factors causing problems has been a step forward in recent years. It is hoped that this competition will be able to make further inter-disciplinary contributions. Submissions in this competition category are expected to identify lessons learned from addressing state fragility and better understand successful and failed interventions in order to propose ways to resolve state ineffectiveness. Where possible, policy recommendations that flow from the research should be drawn for the benefit of the various stakeholders—such as governments, donors, NGOs, and regional organizations. Submissions are invited from all social science disciplines and should address one or more of the following questions: What are the factors responsible for state fragility and ineffectiveness? What are the implications of state fragility and ineffectiveness for households and communities? And what are their implications for national governments and international institutions? What are the different implications of state fragility for economic growth, poverty reduction, investment, crime and violent conflict or human development in general? What are the various strategies, measures and incentives for coping with or countering the drivers of state fragility and ineffectiveness? These strategies, measures and incentives may be explored at both micro and macro levels. What are the reasons for the poor performance of development assistance in fragile states? Drawing on one or two country studies, what policy recommendations can be provided for positive changes in performance? To demonstrate policy relevance of the research, a submitted paper can be accompanied by a policy brief (not to exceed three pages) indicating the policy recommendations resulting from research. Theme 2 - Household Exposure to Risk: Effects on Poverty (Submissions also accepted in French) Natural disasters, contagious diseases, civil conflict, and physical abuse pose severe threats to the wellbeing of all. These risks have potentially fatal consequences for the personal safety of the poor given their lack of protection. Furthermore given their knife-edge survival, these and other risks – price fluctuations, unemployment, drought, and inadequate property rights – can destroy their livelihoods. Life insurance, health insurance, crop insurance, property insurance, all are available to citizens of the developed countries; no such protection is available to the poor of the developing world. Prevention and emergency response – flood protection, immunization against major diseases, well-disciplined police forces, relief capability – are also a part of life throughout the developed world – but are often inadequate in the developing world and totally missing for the poorest. To be sure, all individuals, even the poorest, and all countries, even the least developed, take action to reduce the threat of the multiple risks encountered in everyday life. Reciprocity-based gift-giving to those in need, burial societies, and crop diversification are examples of local efforts to cope with risk. Compared with more formal arrangements such efforts are usually less effective and more costly. And local efforts cannot deal with aggregate shocks – region-wide drought, epidemics – nor with catastrophic events that may result in potentially large losses. Regional or national, even international, action is required to deal with covariant risk and catastrophic shocks. Prevention and emergency response may also be best managed at the national or in some cases international level. In tackling these issues, policymakers confront difficult issues of timing and balance. How should governments move towards more formal means of insurance while not undermining traditional safety nets? To what extent should governments focus on prevention versus emergency response? Submissions in this category are expected to address one or more aspects of the causes or consequences of risks faced by the poor, in all dimensions. Quantitative and qualitative analysis including case studies is welcome. Examples of the type of questions that might be addressed are: What are the main consequences, physical or economic, of risk for the poor? How does risk affect long term planning by the household? Analysis of gender-specific consequences is encouraged. What instruments are available to the poor to prevent or cope with these risks by themselves? Do these instruments serve their purpose well? Are they costly? Which types of households are most vulnerable to physical and economic threats? What are the implications for policy-makers? What is the scope for various forms of national insurance to support local insurance schemes and to handle covariate risks and catastrophic shocks? What cost-effective strategies are available to countries to prevent major natural disasters, to avert the spread of epidemics, and to forestall civil conflict, all of which significantly increase the risks faced by poor households? How do political factors (i.e. electoral cycles, corruption) affect the risks and the response strategies? How prepared should developing countries be to respond to emergencies? What is the right balance between reliance on domestic capacity versus international support? What is the right balance between prevention and relief? What effect do broad international trends in risk management and disaster mitigation and preparedness have on poverty and development? Do (or how do) donor strategies such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, UN Development Assistance Frameworks etc help to incorporate disaster risk reduction into international/national policy agendas? What are the prospects for the private delivery of insurance to the poor? To what degree can commercial insurers complement public sector safety nets? Where do the main opportunities and constraints lie in creating meaningful health and life insurance markets? Theme 3 - The Rule of Law: Providing Security for Development The rule of law entails that the acts of national governments and citizens comply with established legal rules and mechanisms and that law is a reliable check on the power of governments and citizens. It is usually perceived as an indispensable means of providing security for individuals, organizations, and businesses in reference to major threats to survival and safety, such as interpersonal violence and crime, civil conflict, state oppression and environmental degradation. It can at the same time combat the fear that cripples social confidence and development, as well as establish common frameworks of coordination and of expectations, within which citizens can fruitfully cooperate. Widely-used legal instruments and markers of legality include drafting of a constitution and specific legislation, setting up courts and a judicial system, and ensuring enforcement of formalized legal norms. However, none of this will amount to much unless law actually counts, and is believed to count, as a restraint on the power of governments and of citizens. Whether it does so is as much a question of the relations between law, politics and society as it is of the specific features of legal institutions. The rule of law is inherently linked to politics: laws are enacted through political procedures, and their implementation requires accountability and transparence of the state apparatus to avoid abuses in the name of law. It is also linked to civil society: congruence between what the law requires and what social norms and rules require and allow is important for bringing up law-abiding citizens. Ensuring both national and international security cannot therefore rely exclusively on legal measures: these measures’ success largely depends on political climate and will as well as public support and commitment. Apart from what it requires and prohibits, the rule of law facilitates. To the extent that it exists, citizens can obtain from the law, as they plan what they will do, clear understanding of their own and others’ legal obligations, and they can reasonably have faith that the law will constrain other citizens and officials in ways they can predict. Again, however, this will only work if the law matters, and people believe it does. Beyond the national borders, the worldwide promotion of the rule of law in the interests of global security includes introduction of international norms of conduct and their enforcement through international agreements and activities of international organizations to address such threats, as external aggression, international terrorism, trafficking of drugs and people, and climate change. Submissions in this competition category should analyze the role of the rule of law and related political and civic arrangements in providing broadly conceived security for development. They should therefore address one or more of the following questions in reference to one or more security threats: What is the relationship between the rule of law, politics, and civil society, and what implications does this relationship have for promoting security in its various forms? How can a balance among legal, political, and civic measures be struck in order to successfully address security threats within the rule of law? How does the rule of law and related political and civic frameworks address and prevent insecurity in either national or international contexts? What are the national and international mechanisms and channels for promoting safety and security, and what are the economic, political, and social costs and benefits (implications) of their use? How can a balance between penalties/sanctions and preventive strategies be struck to successfully address security threats within the rule of law? How can various security strategies based on the rule of law and related political and civic frameworks affect and promote development? And what is necessary to ensure that the rule of law both provides security and advances development? What are the challenges confronting fragile states in terms of security and development, and how can they be met based on the rule of law and related political and civic frameworks? Theme 4 - Women’s Rights, Security and Development: Challenges and Opportunities Physical abuse, sexual assault, trafficking and many other sources of insecurity continue to plague women all around the world. The threats may come from domestic partners, community leaders, state actors, foreign invaders or international peace-keeping troops. Gender-based violence and the undermining of women’s basic rights to security have serious implications for economic and social development. Researchers, development practitioners, civil society activists and policy-makers have sought ways to mainstream these issues, but significant gaps remain in our knowledge and understanding of the gender dimensions of security as well as in the policies implemented to protect women against violence. Women are often abused and assaulted in their own home, by their own family members or others in the community. Their basic rights are even more at risk in a volatile conflict situation, when women are often left alone at home to manage the household while the men are drafted into the armed forces. The costs of violating women’s basic rights are significant and wide ranging, from the reduced income of the household when women become unfit for employment to increased health risks for the family or children’s lack of basic education, often provided by mothers in the household unit. Submissions in this category are expected to address one or more aspects of the causes or consequences of threats and violence against women, in all its forms, as well as informal and formal responses to these threats. Examples of the type of questions that might be addressed are: How does ‘gender’ affect the distribution of rights and resources within a household? How does this distribution of resources and rights affect women’s vulnerability to violence? What are the implications of domestic gender based abuse for poverty and well-being at the household level? What interventions are most successful in addressing women’s vulnerability to gender based domestic violence? How are gender relations affected by conflict? What major differences can be observed in the treatment of women in conflict contexts in Africa, Asia, Latin America, or the Middle East? Which are the most effective measures in safeguarding women’s rights during conflicts or large displacements caused by natural disasters? You can discuss successful responses at the community, regional, national or international level. What policies have proven successful in post-conflict rehabilitation of women? Taking specific country case studies as examples of good practices, discuss the feasibility of the implementation of gender focused action plans and legislation at the grassroots level. How can women’s participation in conflict resolution and peace negotiations be encouraged? What are the effects of excluding women from these processes? Has economic development been associated with significant improvements in women’s security? What are the main economic, social and political costs of different aspects of violence or abuse faced by women? How do these costs vary from the household and community level to the macro level? Which structural and institutional factors favor achieving legal, social, political and economic gender equality? What reforms are required in developing and transition countries to establish and safeguard gender equality? How does the rule of law (or its absence) affect women’s rights in conflict prone societies? What international policies and agreements have played a significant role in influencing efforts to address violence against women? How can these be made more effective? What is the evidence on the effectiveness of international funding on policies and programs to improve or protect women’s rights in post conflict societies? What would be considered key indicators used to measure women’s security? Theme 5 - Natural Resources: Risks and Implications for Sustaining Development The essentially finite supply of natural resources such as energy and water coupled with increased demands stemming from rapid growth, industrialization and urbanization have serious implications for development. Supply concerns are exacerbated, in many cases, by the declining quality of the existing stock of resources. Energy, environment, water and food security are all interlinked and have become increasingly common items on the agenda of policy-makers at all levels. Both sides, those who supply and those who demand natural resources face problems and conflicting interests. Rebel groups, governments, mining companies (domestic and foreign) often clash over control and distribution of resources, rights of extraction and profits. Moreover, the uncontrolled usage of energy sources is linked to environmental degradation, which in turn affects the availability and quality of water and food stocks. High pollution, declining air and water quality, storms, floods and drought caused by environmental changes are serious challenges in most developing countries and now considered by many experts and policy-makers as security threats. It is estimated, for instance, that currently a third of the world's population lives in water-stressed countries, and by 2025 this will probably have risen to two-thirds. A non-substitutable resource such as water occasionally becomes a reason of political disputes, which can escalate into internal civil conflicts, legal battles between civil society and industries as well as cross-border disputes for the more than fifty countries who share reservoirs and rivers. Moreover, the impact of water availability on food security cannot be underestimated, since most of the water is used for irrigation purposes. Food security remains a high priority in developing countries. This, in turn, links back to the environment and sustainable development, as the risks and implications of increasing food production to achieve food security without natural resource management are severe. Submissions in this category may address all aspects of energy, environment, water and food security and the implications for sustainable development, along the lines of the specific questions below but not limited to these: Identify the risks from rapid economic growth to national resources of developing countries and their long-term impact on economic systems, growth and poverty alleviation. What are the fundamental changes required to make economic systems less resource and energy intensive? Discuss the implications of specialization on natural resource exports, including the potential for conflicts. What are the challenges to industry diversification? Identify the required structural reforms and improvements to institutions in order to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs of natural resource specialization. What are the political and economic implications of water insecurity? Identify domestic and crossborder responses required to prevent and deal with conflict arising from this threat, national measures needed to attain water security and its implications for sustaining development. As an extension to water security discuss its implications for sustaining food security and development. Discuss the importance of sustainable agriculture in ensuring food security and reducing poverty. Identify the major barriers to sustainable agriculture and any progress made towards achieving it in developing countries. What are the implications of unmanaged deforestation, the expansion of urban areas to arable lands and its long-term effect on sustaining economic growth? Identify the major areas of policy shortfalls and the necessary reforms to ensure food security. What are the costs to developing countries of incorporating natural resource management into the economic systems? Discuss the growing importance in developing countries of economic instruments like emissions credits and how economic growth can be sustained simultaneously with environmental regulation. What changes are necessary to economic and social policies to incorporate natural resource management? This section may include a discussion of resource allocation and property rights policies and their impact on development. Identify regional responses if any kind that have proved successful and have potential for being replicated in other developing countries. Discuss the differences, consequences and efficiency of preventive strategies and natural resource planning versus emergency responses to drought, famine or environmental disasters. What is the scope for international co-operation in addressing energy, water and food shortages as well as environmental degradation? Are responses to these security threats driven by the level of development achieved? What are the approaches to development that are consistent with natural resource conservation and environmental protection?

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