STEG is pleased to announce that it has received a grant for expanding research on gender and economic transformation in low- and middle-income countries from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To further this research, STEG is partnering with the G²LM|LIC Programme.
Kindly note that the deadline extension only applies to the macro stream which is managed by STEG. The deadline for the micro stream, managed by G²LM|LIC, was on 11th February 2025.
The STEG and the G²LM|LIC Programme are excited to announce that both programmes now invite submissions of Expressions of Interest (EOI) for a joint call for research proposals. The call is motivated by the need for a better understanding of the changing nature of work and women’s involvement in this change, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
The processes of structural transformation and economic growth involve a number of complex and interrelated shifts in the nature of work and the gender division of work. Although much research attention has focused on the sectoral dimensions of economic transformation – the movement of economic activity out of agriculture and into manufacturing and services – other dimensions of transformation are also important. Structures of employment change, with a broad movement away from self-employment and unpaid family labour towards wage work. Transformation also involves complex shifts in the locus of economic activity, from the home to the market, and from rural areas to urban centres. Typically, economic growth is also accompanied by changes in the types of firms that operate in an economy – movements from small and informal enterprises towards larger firms with more complex and professionalised management structures. All of these changes have strong gender dimensions – and potentially create differing impacts for women and men. Until recently, however, the gender dimensions of structural change have received little attention in the literature, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Policy makers more broadly need a better understanding of 21st-century drivers of employment to know how best to support people in low- and middle-income country contexts to prepare for and access productive forms of work. The aim is to strengthen their understanding of (1) how labour markets are likely to develop in the future, with a particular focus on how public and private investment may drive the expansion of particular sectors (e.g., clean energy, tourism, care, digital economy) and (2) policy and development choices to ensure that women can take advantage of new opportunities.
More specifically, enabling women to access higher-productivity work will require new ways of organising women’s – and men’s – labour. Historical evidence demonstrates that past examples of structural transformation (e.g., in Nigeria, India, Brazil) have had gendered effects, largely tied to women’s disproportionate unpaid care and domestic work, limiting their ability to seek higher-productivity employment opportunities. The next era of structural transformation will require policies and investments aimed at addressing the gendered division of labour, including by reducing and redistributing the time women spend doing care and domestic work, so people regardless of gender can sort according to their talents and skills, maximising productivity.
Research under this call will add new dimensions to ‘future of work’ conversations by considering gender-specific constraints and opportunities, including around (1) imminent demographic shifts as an opportunity for new job creation in the care sector, rather than just a liability to economies and (2) investment in the production of labour-saving technology and infrastructure as both a means of easing women’s supply side constraints and generating demand-side employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Topic areas:
We encourage expressions of interest under a macro or a micro-focused stream. The macro stream will be managed by STEG and the micro-focused stream will be managed by the G²LM|LIC Programme. EOIs and applications must be submitted separately to each programme.
- Macro model: Research on gender and structural transformation. Key focus should be on the macro modelling of legal barriers, social norms, and institutional arrangements (e.g., availability of markets for childcare) that limit women’s labour force participation, earnings and human capital accumulation. Potential broad research areas are in
a. Demographic transitions and the potential for labour mobility
b. Digital technologies
c. Climate impacts and green transition
d. Support to families
This stream is managed by the STEG programme. The details of the available grants and application guidance can be found below. - Micro data: The focus should be on the (past) development of jobs and potential movement away from subsistence-level agricultural work and its implications for women’s employment and entrepreneurship using administrative micro data, such as tax records, labour force surveys, or other administrative data. We are especially interested in the following kind of themes, always including a gender lens:
a. Demographic trends, including implications for the care economy and labour migration
b. Jobs impacts of climate adaptation and green economy transitions
c. Advances in digital and communications technology
This stream is managed by the G²LM|LIC Programme and information on the separate EOI and application process can be found here. Please note that for this stream, we invite only academic and policy scholars based in and/or from Sub-Saharan Africa. Those scholars with a promising EOI will be matched with a scholar from the Global North working in a related field. In a last step, both will submit a joint proposal that will be evaluated by an evaluation committee.
Country Criteria:
Please note that an important criterion for funding of proposals is the relevance to understanding the topics areas in Ethiopia, Kenya, or Nigeria. Projects with a particular focus on these countries will be prioritised. Proposals for projects outside these focus countries should make a clear case for the relevance of the research to policy in lower-income countries, and also justify why the research is feasible only in non-target countries.
Grant Set-up:
The grants available under the macro stream being managed by CEPR have a budget limit of $25,000 USD. Grants will typically range between $10,000 and $25,000. These grants can fund research assistance, travel costs, and (if necessary) teaching buyouts for the principal investigator. Please note that cost-effectiveness and value for money are important evaluation criteria and costs considered unreasonable may result in a lower proposal rating. Please refer to the budget guidelines for further guidance on research stipends.
Successful proposals which include, in addition to the expected academic working papers, a background/synthesis paper on Ethiopia, Kenya, or Nigeria will be awarded an additional $5,000 to $10,000 (for details see Research Backgrounders under “Expected Output” below).
Projects typically run for 12 months. Please note that contracts should be signed within one month of the outcome notification, which is also the expected start date for the projects. Grants are designed to be contracted directly with individual researchers. The individual researcher will be responsible for receiving, spending and reporting on funds. There should be no institutional involvement. In exceptional circumstances and with significant justification contracts can be drafted with the individual's institution, but these are non-negotiable and the institution cannot take any overhead fees. For further information on STEG’s standard Small Research Grants, please consult the FAQs.
Expected output:
We particularly encourage projects that aim to produce both (i) a working paper and policy brief and (ii) a research backgrounder. Researchers should clearly identify in their proposals which outputs they expect to produce under the grant scheme.
- Working papers with modelled economic analysis on the status and impact of gender gaps in labour force participation, quality of employment and earnings. We are looking for research at the frontier of incorporating gender into models of structural transformation and growth.
- Policy briefs including actionable recommendations on women’s involvement in shifting labour forces.
- Research backgrounders on existing trends on women’s integration into structural economic transformations in Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. General backgrounders serve to provide policymakers in the target countries with a comprehensive understanding of the driving factors behind economic transformation in the region and the key considerations for ensuring women benefit from current and anticipated trends. We have a specific interest in detailed descriptions of current labour market frictions or barriers affecting women – and also exploring the obstacles facing women as labour market opportunities change in the future. For instance, we would like to fund work that addresses the specific obstacles to women taking up new opportunities in the digital economy in our three countries. Are the obstacles linked to deficiencies in the primary and secondary education available for girls? Are there financial market frictions that hinder women from investing in the digital economy?
Deadline:
This grant call has a two-stage process. In the first stage, we invite expressions of interest (EOIs). Successful proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal with a budget in the second stage.
The EOI for the macro stream should be in the form of a two-page Extended Abstract plus references and must be submitted before a formal application. The EOI should clarify:
- how the project will benefit our understanding of the above key issues women are facing in LICs;
- highlight the relevance of the research for Ethiopia, Kenya, or Nigeria;
- clarify the expected output from the project (working paper, policy brief and/or backgrounder);
- provide an estimated total budget.
EOIs should be submitted by 23:59 GMT, 18 February 2025 to [email protected]. We will not be able to consider EOIs received after the deadline. Please note that substantive feedback will not be provided at the EOI stage, prospective applicants will only receive an indication of whether they can submit a full proposal. If invited to submit a proposal following a review of the EOI, full applications should be submitted by 23:59 GMT, 18 March 2025. More information on how to apply as well as access to the online application form are available here.
