The Overseas Development Institute offers the Fellowship Scheme to provide governments of developing countries with high calibre junior professional economists where gaps in local expertise exist and to provide recent postgraduate economists with practical work experience in a developing country. The Scheme has been sending young postgraduate economists to work in the public sectors of developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific on two-year contracts since 1963.
Governments often face capacity problems and view the Scheme as an effective means of employing well-qualified and highly motivated economists. Fellows become line employees within the civil service making this a highly flexible form of technical support.
The host government draws up Terms of Reference for each two-year posting. The success of the Scheme and the respect it has gained from governments is demonstrated by the consistently high demand for Fellows and by the degree of responsibility often entrusted to Fellows.
The costs of employing each Fellow are shared between the recipient government and ODI, making this a unique form of technical support. ODI has secured funding for the Scheme through grants provided by the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK, AusAID and the World Bank Trust Fund.
Most Fellows are assigned to government ministries where they work as economists or planning officers. The posts call for a wide variety of both economic and administrative skills.
The deadline to submit applications is 15 December 2011. For more information, visit this link.
