from September 2021

PEP launches a new initiative for Strengthening Impact Evaluation Capacities for Development (SIECD) in East and West Africa.

PEP invites teams of in-country PEP alumni and other senior local researchers alongside government officers to submit expressions of interest to conduct an Impact Evaluation of a new or existing program that has not yet been evaluated.

The team members will receive advanced practical training in Impact Evaluation coupled with beginning-to-end customized technical assistance and mentoring as they evaluate a policy initiative of their choosing.

This initiative aims to strengthen experimental Impact Evaluation capacities among experienced researchers and within governments in East and West Africa. It also aims to increase the demand for rigorous evaluations from these governments.

Application deadline: November 12, 2021

Find out more

PEP is offering four online distance-learning courses in Applied Development Economics from January to April 2022.

Courses in Policy Impact Analysis, Computable General Equilibrium Modelling, Measuring and Alleviating Poverty and Inequality, and Gender Analysis in Economic Policy Research.

Application deadline: October 15, 2021

Find out more & apply

For any questions not covered on the announcement page, the online courses web page, or in the syllabi, please write to oc@pep-net.org.

PEP experts at 2021 Global Development Conference
18-21 October 2021

Join PEP researchers on the first four days of "Evidence for Development: What Works Global Summit 2021", organised by the Campbell Collaboration and the Global Development Network.

18 Oct, 15:45 CET - Panel 1.1
PEP Research Fellows will discuss Increasing the Southern Voice on Development Debates during a panel session organised by PEP and the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Improving rural women’s coping strategies in the face of floods and droughts in Lesotho

Agriculture is vital to the livelihoods of many people in rural areas of Lesotho, where about 66% of the population resides, 85% of whom engage in smallholder farming. However, floods and droughts have caused agricultural production and productivity to plummet over the last three decades. A team of local PEP researchers found that men and women try to insure themselves against climate shocks through farming and non-farming activities, but women are more vulnerable and have limited coping strategies compared to men. Promoting agricultural activities that are less vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as livestock farming, may help rural households retain their living standards.

Find out more in the PEP policy brief 238 and the working paper 2021-15

Affirmative action policies: a springboard for youth and women’s employment in Senegal

Unemployment rates among Senegal’s women and young people are much higher than the national average and they continue to rise. The second phase of the government’s Plan for an Emerging Senegal (PSE) provides investments in key sectors to continue the country’s economic growth but can it address unemployment? A team of local PEP researchers found that the public investment strategy would create jobs, particularly for adults and women. However, many more jobs can be created (up to three times higher) and employment inequalities can be somewhat addressed by combining public investment with income tax reduction and a wage subsidy for women and youth.

Find out more in the PEP policy brief 235 and the working paper 2021-18

PEP shares opportunities and events from the development research community that may be of interest to our members. PEP is not involved in the organization of these calls/activities.
Contact the organizers directly for any further information.