Title Lead Researcher-Peace governance

Introduction

Integrity Watch is an Afghan civil society organization committed to increase transparency, accountability, and integrity in Afghanistan.

The mission of Integrity Watch is to put corruption under the spotlight through community monitoring, research, and advocacy. We mobilize and train communities to monitor infrastructure projects, public services, courts, and extractives industries. We develop community monitoring tools, provide policy-oriented research, facilitate policy dialogue, and advocate for integrity, transparency, and accountability in Afghanistan.

Integrity Watch was created in October 2005 and established itself as an independent civil society organization in 2006. It has approximately 50 staff members and 1400 volunteers. The head office of Integrity Watch is in Kabul with provincial programmatic outreach in Badakhshan, Balkh, Bamyan, Ghor, Herat, Kabul, Kapisa, Logar, Nangarhar, Parwan, Panjshir, Samangan, and Wardak.

Integrity Watch’s work has three major components: (1) Community Monitoring, (2) Research, and (3) Advocacy. Integrity Watch tries to encourage active citizenship and community mobilization through its programs. Our community monitoring work includes development of community monitoring tools, mobilizing and training communities to monitor infrastructure projects, public services, courts, and extractives industries.

Our research work is focused on policy-oriented research measuring trends, perceptions and experiences of corruption and covering wide range of corruption related issues including security and justice sectors, extractive industries, budget and public finance management, and aid effectiveness. The objective is to develop new, ground-breaking empirical research in order to set the agenda, influence decision-makers, and bring to the public attention non-documented and non-explored issues.

The aim of our advocacy work is to enhance Integrity Watch’s pioneering role in advocating for knowledgeable decision-making and informed public debate on corruption and integrity. Our advocacy work includes facilitation of policy dialogue on issues related to integrity, transparency, and accountability. We advocate for access to information; budget transparency, accountability, and participation; aid transparency and effectiveness; social accountability; and other issues related to anti-corruption.

Study Background:

Ever since Integrity Watch Afghanistan establishment, Integrity Watch has tried to encourage active citizenship and community mobilization through its programs. Our research work is focused on policy-oriented research measuring trends, perceptions and experiences of corruption and covers a wide range of corruption related issues including the security and justice sectors, the extractive industries, the budget and public finance management and aid effectiveness. The objective is to develop new, ground-breaking empirical research in order to set the agenda, influence decision-makers and bring to the public attention non-documented and non-explored issues.

Integrity Watch Afghanistan aims to conduct a research on the Afghan peace process or agreement to ensure that the peace process and any peace agreement include the issues of corruption & governance. The project will highlight the role of governance and its practical integration into the Afghan peace process. The project will produce strong body of research and recommendations on the role of independent agencies to sustain peace with subjects to include the public revenues and expenditure and decentralization of financial authorities, rule of law and judiciary, the independent agencies and the extractive sector.

Duties and Responsibilities

The lead researcher is expected to prepare a report and develop a policy recommendation on the peace process and/or agreement, as well as on how to integrate governance and corruption issues into the Afghan peace process. The lead researcher is expected to provide a policy-oriented reports within the agreed timeline, after which and based upon comments from senior management of Integrity Watch, representatives of Integrity Watch’s Board and other external reviewers, the consultant will finalize the report based on comments and feedbacks.

Tasks

· Prepare a plan and research or data collection tools for the data collection and for the project in general;

· Review and analyze all relevant quantitative and qualitative data and associated literature and research

· To analyze the data and to prepare detailed and well-balanced reports.

· The reports should include an executive summary of the key insights from the whole report, a section that provides an overview to role of governance and its practical integration into the Afghan peace process, and sections that reviews/assess the Intra-Afghan Peace agreement.

· Liaise closely at all times with the Integrity Watch Head of Research.

· Write up high-quality and professional reports summarizing the findings of the research.

· Deliver the draft report to Integrity Watch Afghanistan and collect the committee’s comments and feedback for improving the report.

· Incorporate internal, peer, and board reviewer’s comments in the reports.

Data / Project Management

· The consultant follows the project and data management procedures of the Research department of Integrity watch Afghanistan. The procedures and methodology will be clearly defined in writing and forwarded to the Service Provider.

· The project work to be carried-out in the Dropbox file system.

· Dropbox shared folder is the property of Integrity Watch.

· All official work, to be fulfilled in the Dropbox folder and service provider should synchronize it regularly as needed.

Analysis and Write up of the researches

· The service provider is obliged to write one report applying the research methodology designed for the assessment.

· The consultant is responsible to review the related literature, analyze the data (qualitative and quantitative) collected by Integrity Watch research team on the peace agreement and develop policy oriented research and recommendation.

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will possess some or all of the following characteristics:

· At least a master degree in social and political science, public policy or administration or other relevant fields. Having doctorate degree is preferred.

· Minimum 10 years of experience in assessment, anti-corruption, policy analysis and research in Afghanistan and other countries, preferably in anti-corruption and good governance research.

· Solid understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methodology, policy and institutional assessment, evaluation.

· Proven background and ability to write standard reports on policy analysis.

· Solid understanding of Afghan government, laws, structures and policies.

· Good professional reputation in assessments and evaluations.

· Substantial experience in conducting different type of interviews and/or survey, focus group meetings and site visits;

· Ability to work autonomously but in direct cooperation with the head of research, and in a multi-cultural work environment;

· Excellent speaking skills and ability to conceptualise and build arguments

· Good representation and communication skills, and ability to correctly present the aims of the project

· Proven interest in issues of justice, integrity and anti-corruptions in governance in Afghanistan.**

Key Deliverables

· Complete all activities within approved timeline of the project

· Finalized operational research/assessment plan and the data collection tools

· Conduct interviews, focus group meetings and site visits with different organizations, institutions and individuals – within the specific time period

· The draft report of the assessment and the final report after incorporation of comments.

Timelines

The researchers will work with the Research department of Integrity Watch in order to manage and complete Research project. The Head of Research department will work closely with the researchers to help them complete the task.

The Researchers are obliged to submit all the deliverables, complete and submit final document and other related information no later than the approved timeline.