Photo: Participants and facilitators of the 2019-2020 course in Abuja, Nigeria.
Research on Tax and Development Course 2021 (applications now closed)
As part of the ICTD’s commitment to build research and analysis capacity on tax and development, we are accepting applications for the 2021 ‘Research on Tax and Development’ course until July 31st.
The new course includes diverse methodological training, new material on tax and development issues, and individual mentorship for all participants. It is designed for researchers, revenue administration employees, civil society activists, journalists, academics, and anyone interested in learning more about tax and development and how to conduct research on these issues.
The course is primarily aimed at participants from lower–income countries, although we may make exceptions in selected cases.
Course Details
What is the course?
The course is designed to help participants:
- Gain a strong understanding of the current tax and development research landscape
- Learn basic research methodologies
- Develop their own research projects and ideas
In order to achieve these goals, the course is comprised of a range of online and offline learning sessions throughout the year. These include:
- Introductions to key themes in contemporary research on Tax & Development, such as Tax and Governance, Gender, Informality, and International Taxation
- Training on how to engage with this literature, write a literature review and identify gaps in the literature
- Training on how to develop a research question and how to write research proposals
- Introductions to both qualitative and quantitative research methods
- Training on project management, publication, and research dissemination
Participants will also be assigned research mentors from within the ICTD’s network to help them develop their own research ideas and projects.
Who is the course for?
The course is designed for researchers, revenue administration employees, civil society activists, journalists, academics, and anyone interested in learning more about tax and development and how to conduct research on these issues. The course is primarily aimed at participants from lower-income countries, although we may make exceptions in selected cases.
What are the entry requirements?
You must have successfully completed an undergraduate degree. While the course is open to applicants with all academic backgrounds, we may prioritise those with some connection with the field of taxation (e.g. accountancy, law, economics, etc.)
What does it cost?
The course is entirely free of charge for all participants. To the degree that travel (to training workshops) is involved, the entire cost for all participants will be covered by the ICTD. If required, the ICTD will also support participants’ internet costs for online training sessions.
Where is it taught and how much time will it take?
The course is taught through a mixture of online and offline training sessions over a period of nine months, starting in September. The online training sessions will be primarily conducted on Zoom and the ICTD’s online learning platform. We are currently aiming for the course to include an in-person workshop, which would likely be held in a city in Africa, although this may change depending on the Covid-19 situation.
The program has been designed to facilitate participation alongside full-time work schedules. Participants should expect to spend a few days of each month on reading and developing their research projects, and a few blocks of 3-4 days for intensive training sessions either online or at an in-person workshop.
What are the outcomes?
At the end of the course, participants will be issued a participation certificate from the ICTD. They will also have produced, by the end of the course, either a project proposal that can be used to apply for research funding or further support from the ICTD, or a blog on an important and underdeveloped area of research that will be published by the ICTD.
How Do I Apply?
The application deadline for this course is July 31, 2021. In order to apply, participants should submit:
1. An up-to-date CV
2. A brief cover letter
3. A 400-word text that answers the following question: “What is an area of research on tax and development that you are particularly interested in, and why?”