NCAER-NDIC Data Innovation Fellowship
Application deadline 1st June 23
NCAER: Established in 1956, NCAER is India’s oldest and largest independent, non-profit economic policy research institute. NCAER’s work cuts across many sectors, including growth, macro, trade, infrastructure, logistics, labour, urban, agriculture and rural development, human development, poverty, and consumers. NCAER’s work focuses on generating and analysing empirical evidence to support and inform policy choices. It is also one of a handful of think tanks globally that combine rigorous analysis and policy outreach with deep data collection capabilities, especially for household surveys. More on NCAER is available at www.ncaer.org
About NCAER NDIC:
The NCAER National Data Innovation Centre was set up in December 2017 to promote innovation and excellence in data collection and build research capacity to strengthen the data ecosystem in India. The NDIC is envisaged as a hub for providing expertise to policymakers, government statistical agencies and private data collection agencies. NDIC is pursuing three primary goals:
(1) To pilot innovative data collection methods and mainstream successful pilots into more extensive data collection efforts;
(2) To impart formal and informal training to a new generation of data scientists; and
(3) To serve as a resource for data stakeholders, including Government data agencies and ministries.
NDIC is experimenting with survey instruments and modes of data collection to address shortcomings in existing approaches. Other capacity-building activities that enable NDIC to serve as a key partner in India’s evolving data infrastructure include regular workshops and lectures addressing critical issues related to statistical data collection. India Human Development Survey (IHDS) research programme is housed within NDIC.
National Data Innovation Centre a part of the National Council of Applied Economic Research seeks to build a community of scholars interested in the collection and analysis of survey data and contribute to the development of the fields of survey methodology in India. NDIC seeks to develop a community of young scholars through a yearlong residential fellowship program.
The NCAER-NDIC Data Innovation fellows will have an opportunity to participate in a network for Fellows, researchers, and practitioners to hone their skills, and network with individuals with shared interests. The Fellows will:
- Write an 8-page brief exploring measurement challenges and innovations in substantive domains of their interest.
- Participate in monthly web-based discussions around data and evidence-related challenges covering key domains of policy interest.
- Attend a two day Workshop at NCAER in New Delhi where they will present their work and have an opportunity to interact with national and international scholars working in the field of survey methodology.
- Be part of a network of young and established researchers working with survey data and designing new surveys.
This is a non-residential program designed for early career scholars. Ph.D. students and individuals who obtained Ph.D. in 2018 or later in any social science field or data sciences with a social data focus are eligible to apply.
The Fellowship will be for a year starting from July 1, 2023. While this fellowship is limited to Indian residents, relocation to Delhi is not required. We particularly seek to enhance geographical and gender diversity in the network.
Measurement Brief:
Key output of this program will be a high-quality measurement brief that will address some domains of human development, broadly defined. For example, it may explore consistencies and inconsistencies in existing data, evaluate the applicability of international methodologies to the Indian context, or propose new data collection methodologies. While not exhaustive, the topics below provide examples of the types of research we envision:
- Quality of nutritional outcomes in Indian surveys
- Measurement of learning outcomes
- Definition and measurement of urbanization
- Measurement of women’s labor force participation
- Measurement of access to and usage of health insurance
- Definition of migration and methodologies for measuring it
- Definition and measurement of household/ household composition
- Collecting information on age and age-related life events
- Gender, caste, class, and region bias in data collection
- Measurement and capture of government programmes and their beneficiaries through surveys
On submission of a high-quality measurement brief, the Fellows will receive a payment of Rs. 50,000.
Application Process:
Send your application to coord_ndic@ncaer.org by June 1, 2023. Application materials include:
- A 2-page concept note defining the measurement challenge the proposed brief seeks to address, potential approach, and data. No new data collection may be proposed, although pre-testing of questionnaires is permissible.
- CV
- One writing sample – a paper or a dissertation chapter.
- Names of 2 referees who can be contacted for short-listed applicants.
Short-listed applicants will be interviewed via Zoom and selected Fellows will be notified by June 21, 2023. We anticipate awarding 8-10 fellowships.
