The Institute for New Economic Thinking aims to foster open discourse and to advance new thinking on economic issues and theory. The Institute’s notion of new economic thinking is deliberately open and non-dogmatic. Our hope is to support research that transforms our understanding of major economic problems and improves analysis of policy.

In this grant round, in addition to our call for research, we seek to fund projects that promise to advance the way economics is taught in and out of formal courses in economics. Preference will be given to projects promising lasting improvements in course materials and pedagogy that could potentially be widely adopted, rather than seminars or courses offered on a one-off basis dependent on continued outside funding. These proposals will be segmented and considered separately from the other applications.

In our sixth round of grants, we plan to fund proposals of up to $250,000. The deadline for the first stage of applications is October 20, 2014. For guidance on how to prepare an application for either type of grant, see our Grants FAQ. Note that efficient use of resources is a factor in the evaluation process.

Click here for full funding call.

The Agricultural and Applied Economics Association invites applications for the Luther G Tweeten scholarship. This supports graduate student research on socioeconomic problems of Africa by especially addressing issues of food, population and environment that affect economic development, poverty and food security.

The scholarship is worth up to US$2,000 and it is to be used to cover the costs associated with fieldwork in Africa, including research materials, programmes and travel expenses.

Closing date: 06 Oct 14

Funder’s website

Department for International Development (DFID), GB

The Department for International Development (DFID) invites tenders for its enhancing governance for economic development (LEGEND) central land support team. Tenderers will deliver some of the objectives of this new programme, which aims to improve land governance in order to increase land tenure security, thereby encouraging investment and catalysing increased productivity. The central land support team will be responsible for the following components:

•knowledge management;

•knowledge gathering and sharing – analysing DFID’s overall land portfolio and keeping DFID staff updated on land evidence and global policy developments;

•DFID global policy engagement and strategy development support – producing analysis on key issues, maintaining awareness of global developments;

•programme scoping, design and implementation support – supporting the scoping and design of new DFID country level land programmes, and contributing to annual reviews;

•UK policy forum – secretariat function;

•Challenge Fund management – finalising design and managing all aspects of implementation;

•partner management – manage key elements of DFID’s relations with a number of partners receiving support under LEGEND.

The contract is expected to start on 2 March 2015 and last for 54 months.

Closing date 23 Sep 14

Click here for original funding call.

British Institute in Eastern Africa, GB

The British Institute in Eastern Africa invites proposals for its research grants. These support original research projects in east Africa studies across the humanities and social sciences. Research should focus on the following thematic areas:

•contemporary lives;

•governance and the rule of law;

•heritage research;

•the history and practice of elections;

•landscape archaeology;

•memory and belonging.

Priority is given to researchers based in the UK or eastern Africa. The institute particularly encourages applications from the wider eastern African region, including Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan. Members of academic staff based at a UK university are not eligible. All grant recipients must be members of BIEA, minimally for the year the grant is awarded.

Grants are normally between £500 and £1,000; in exceptional circumstances up to £1,500 may be awarded. The grant should contribute towards actual research costs and should not include institutional overheads, applicants’ stipends or publication costs.

For more information visit the funder’s website.

The IGC has Country Economists based in its partner countries which currently include Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Liberia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. There are currently vacancies in India (Bihar office), Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda and Tanzania, though candidates will also be considered for a reserve pool for all countries.

Country Economists work with the country leadership team in implementing the country strategy, with a particular emphasis on identifying and developing opportunities for policy influence and connecting researchers with policy makers. They support researchers in facilitating research projects; manage country programme activities including country visits and events as well as regular reports on research and policy developments; contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the programme; support the dissemination of research outputs to maximise policy impact; and can potentially work on IGC research projects where opportunities arise.

Good economics and policy analysis skills, written and oral communication skills, as well as excellent organisational skills are essential, as is the ability to work under pressure, both as part of a team and independently. Applicants should hold a post-graduate degree (MSc/MPA/MPP) in economics, public policy/administration, development economics, or a related discipline.

Closing Date for Applications: 6 July 2014.

For more information and to apply, please click here.

Department for International Development (DFID), GB

The Department for International Development (DFID) invites tenders for its economic development and institutions research programme. Tenderers will consider the relationship between institutions and economic growth in low income countries and create a body of evidence designed to be academically ground-breaking and of sufficient magnitude to be game-changing in terms of policy. Tenderers should deliver:

•a set of 10 to 20 path-finding papers reviewing current evidence on institutions’ relationship to growth, to set out the current research frontier;

•a tool for growth-orientated institutional diagnostics that would draw on existing knowledge to identify the feasible institutional reforms that would have the biggest growth pay off;

•a set of coordinated trials (RCTs) studying the effects of real institutional reforms across a range of contexts to inform general conclusions about one or two specific institutional reforms;

•a set of coordinated case studies on the interactions among institutions.

The project value is approximately £15 million

Funder’s website

Support to enhance livelihoods for people dependent on informal economy and improve social inclusion of marginalised and vulnerable persons