Established in 1997, the International Budget Partnership collaborates with civil society organizations in countries around the world to use budget analysis and advocacy as a tool to improve governance and reduce poverty. In addition to its support of civil society efforts within countries to improve budget policies and implementation, IBP and its partners conduct research and advocacy at national and international levels for improvements in budget transparency, participation and accountability.
The position
This Research Analyst position will support primarily the Budget Credibility research and advocacy project, which begins in January 2018. The Budget Credibility project is an innovative research collaboration aimed at learning more about the challenges that countries face in implementing their budgets. Deviations from budget may result in reductions in financing for key government priorities with little justification, but little research has been done in this area. This project will look at the prevalence of these deviations, and, for the first time at the global level, the degree to which governments justify them, and their implications for the distribution of resources.
The project will involve collecting and analyzing data in partnership with country-based researchers from IBP’s network, as well as desk-based research, interviews and country case studies. In addition to assessing the extent of the credibility problem, the project aims to understand how transparent governments are about their credibility challenges, and the quality of the public reasons they use to justify changes in the budget. Finally, the project will aim to understand the allocative or distributional consequences of variances from budget. The findings from the research will be used to build a global community of practice among those in the public finance field concerned with these issues and to support advocacy.
Key roles and responsibilities
Essential duties of the job include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Work with the Head of Research and other members of the Research Unit to conceptualize analysis of budget credibility, building on analysis of Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) scores and Open Budget Index (OBI) conducted in 2017.
- Work with partners in 30-40 countries to collect and analyze budget data and narratives to assess the extent of the credibility challenge and how governments report on and justify their challenges.
- Build and manage a dataset that consolidates country credibility data and can be analyzed for reports, possibly drawing on BOOST data as well as other data to be collected through the project.
- Work with the Head of Research and Senior Research Fellow to carry out analysis of the allocative or distributional consequences of credibility across countries.
- Support other researchers, such as country case study authors, with additional research for the project.
- Extend the analysis of public reasons from the credibility project to the formulation and approval stages of the budget by collecting and analyzing similar information in budget formulation and approval documents.
- Working closely with the Head of Research and Senior Research Fellow, draft reports and papers emerging from the analysis of budget credibility and related areas.
- Work with the Communications team, Research Unit, and community of practice participants to disseminate findings from the research generated by this project.
Experience and skills
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree required
Experience:
- Minimum 2 years’ experience coordinating large-scale efforts for networks, movements, partnerships or other types of collaboration, preferably in the non-profit sector
- Experience working with civil society organizations from middle and low-income countries desired
- Experience working with civil society, government or academia on budget issues is a plus
Skills:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; high-level ability to communicate effectively with partners, colleagues, consultants, and representatives of government and other multilateral organizations
- Demonstrates a high level of organization; a strong ability to prioritize tasks to meet multiple deadlines
- Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, while maintaining regular and frequent communication with other colleagues geographically dispersed
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office package, required
- Proficiency in English, required; proficiency in French and other languages, desirable
- Strong interpersonal skills, including the sensitivity for building relationships and alliances across different groups, and the ability to thrive in and contribute to a culture of collaboration and teamwork in a diverse work environment.
Attributes:
- Personal qualities of integrity, credibility and a commitment to and passion for IBP’s mission
- Highly flexible and adaptable to shifting environments and works very well under pressure
- Motivated to learn and willing to contribute to learning initiatives
To apply
Send a cover application letter and resume by email to [email protected]