ERF is pleased to announce a call for proposals in the context of its new competition on Environmental Challenges in the Region. ERF and non-ERF affiliates from the region are invited to submit proposals for original research under the theme of  “New Frontiers in the Economics of Environment in the ERF-Region” . Researchers are invited to submit proposals where economic analysis is used to study the environmental problem in question leading to policy implications and recommendations under selected sub-themes and related topics. Proposals on other topics involving economic analysis of environmental issues are also welcomed.

Click here for more details on the sub-themes and related topics  

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCHERS / PROPOSALS

The selection process will be made on two stages:

1. Step one: All interested researchers should first submit a two-page, or 700 words preliminary proposal containing: Title of the project, Project Leader, Institution, Contact information (name, address, telephone, fax, email) and general description of the problem. Preliminary proposals must consist of the three following sections: 

• Motivation and Outline: This section should provide a clear statement of the problem at hand, the knowledge gap the paper will address in light of existing literature, and how the proposed research will contributes to advancing our knowledge about it. It should also provide an outline of the final paper.
• Methodology and Analysis: This section should clearly identify the question or hypothesis to be tested, as well as the research methodology that will be employed. It should describe the data that will be used in the analysis, as well as its sources and time span for each variable. It should describe the analytical technique (case studies and/or econometrics) and explain the rationale for using the said methodology.
• Policy Implications: Researchers are encouraged to describe preliminary results and policy implications if possible. If not, they should explain how the findings will contribute to the understanding of the topic under investigation as well as any relevant policy implications.

2. Step two: Authors selected through the first process will be asked to submit a full research proposal of a maximum length of twenty pages where the authors must follow closely the “Guidelines for the Elaboration of Research Proposals” that will be then provided by ERF. The research budget may vary between USD 2,000 and USD 20,000 depending on the project duration, length, effort, scope and team. Expected duration of the project is 12 month.

The following are the different criteria for the submission and selection of proposals

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Researchers should have expertise in the topic being researched.
• The primary target of the research competition is researchers from the region, with interest in environmental issues.
• Researchers must be affiliated with a research or academic institution.

SELECTION CRITERIA

All proposals will be evaluated by a refereeing committee on the basis of the following criteria:

• Value added: In particular, the project should have value added in terms of contributing to the advancement of existing knowledge on economic analysis of environmental issues.
• Methodological soundness: It is important to have a sound methodology and adequate methods or techniques to achieve the research objectives.
• Policy relevance of the findings: Is the policy issue well chosen and clearly specified such that it will prove potentially useful to policy makers, and not be a purely academic exercise?
• Scope of the proposed research and whether it is feasible within the timeframe proposed and resources available.
• Novelty: The study should not in any case duplicate any existing studies.
• Literature: Is the literature survey relatively comprehensive and reflect a good understanding of this literature and how the proposal fits into it?

 
TIMETABLE AND DEADLINES

The deadline to submit preliminary proposals according to the terms outlined above is September 15th, 2008. A detailed timetable is given below.

IMPORTANT DATES

• September 15st, 2008 -  Deadline for first submissions (2 pages preliminary proposals) in response to Call for Papers
• September 30th 2008 - Notification of first selected proposals
• December 31st, 2008 - Deadline for submissions of fuller proposals (up to 20 pages based on specific criteria and guidelines provided by ERF)
• March 31st, 2009 - Notification of selected applicants All proposals must specify the theme under which they are submitted.

All proposals must specify the theme under which they are submitted.

PLEASE FORWARD YOUR SUBMISSION TO:  habouali@erf.org.eg or  yfahim@erf.org.eg  

TOGETHER WITH:

• AUTHOR(S)’ CV(S)
• ONE PUBLISHED PAPER, IF ANY

CONTACT

For further inquiries, please contact:

Yasmine Fahim, Economist
ERF
Tel: (+202) 333 18 607
E-mail: yfahim@erf.org.eg