Researching Reality Internship 2022 – Centre for Civil Society

Applications close at 11:59 pm on 30 April 2022. Apply here!

Centre for Civil Society advances social change through public policy. Our work in education, livelihood, and policy training promotes choice and accountability across the private and public sectors. To translate policy into practice, we engage with policy and opinion leaders through research, pilot projects and advocacy.

We are India’s leading liberal think tank, ranked 50 worldwide by the annual study conducted by the Think Tanks and Civil Society Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Our vision is that each individual leads a life of choice in personal, economic and political spheres and every institution is accountable. We successfully campaigned for livelihood freedom for street entrepreneurs, resulting in the passing of the Street Vendors (Regulation and Protection of Livelihood Act in March 2014. Our School Choice Campaign popularised the instrument of school vouchers in education, increasing choice and access to quality education for all.

Currently, our focus is on reshaping the school education policy landscape – shifting the focus to learning outcomes, expanding choice in education and advocating deregulation for private sector; amplifying the voice of budget private schools which are catering to the poor sections of society but face closure in the face of the RTE; enhancing choice and accountability through the CCS skill voucher model in government skilling programs; promoting livelihood freedom by facilitating effective implementation of the Street Vendors Act and creating future leaders through policy trainings and courses who will be champions of liberty in their fields going forward.

Theme : Hafta Bazaar, Walking through Delhi Corridors of Commerce

Delhi is renowned for its weekly bazaars: books, second-hand electronics, clothes, you name it, the city has it! For generations, these market outlets have provided vibrancy and colour to the streets of Delhi. But what about the people behind these bazaars? Have you ever heard about the stories of these vendors and what they grapple with? Modern-day street vending plays a significant part in the urban economy and provides a flexible link that facilitates the economic supply chains while ensuring convenient access to commodities. However, the present-day “hafta” bazaars lack what we promise every working individual: a decent environment that encourages growth and development.

Building on our work with street vendors in the last decade, Centre for Civil Society in its 22nd edition of Researching Reality explores the “hafta” bazaars of Delhi to bring powerful stories of how vendors navigate everything, from “hafta” to harassment in the city streets.

If you are a public policy enthusiast and want to understand how a think tank operates, an internship with Centre for Civil Society might be right for you!

The internship is open to fresh graduates and students enrolled in an undergraduate/ postgraduate course in any academic or professional discipline. The duration of the internship (full time) will be 3 June 2022 – 29 July 2022. Candidates will be required to stay connected part-time until the publication of the compendium.

The RR Internship is an extremely prestigious and highly selective internship with an acceptance rate of 1.5 per cent. We encourage candidates with strong research and writing skills to apply.

Please note that Centre for Civil Society does not offer any stipend to interns.

Who are we looking for?

1. Available for work in Delhi (COVID-19 protocols will be followed)

2. Fluency in Hindi is desirable

3. Interest in the public policy domain and field research

4. Inquisitive and adept with basic research skills – data collection, inference and analysis

5. Strong literature review and writing skills

6. Be open to a fun and respectable environment

7. Be a team player, have strong analytical skills and ability to meet deadlines

“Coming from a management background, this internship was a very different experience for me. In terms of what I learnt, structural and logical thinking is the first thing that comes to my mind. Our mentors always asked us to delve deeper. Second, the exposure to field research was great and we got to interview government officials and school owners. Lastly, the writing and editing experience was very helpful!”.

Hi, please refer to this link for registration: bit.ly/3vKpA0G