M4P2 Awards its First research Grants Focusing on the Thematic Areas of Labour Market and Value Chain Development

The first call for research topics under the Policy Action Research Component (PARU) focused on two areas, namely: improving the relevance of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

system to the needs of the private sector and the poor; and assessing the forms and effectiveness of contracting mechanisms in the agricultural sector and approaches to improve their adoption and application. Both terms of reference emphasised the need for researchers to take a more involved role with other key stakeholders (in the private sector, government, or through business associations) in planning and implementing tangible change within these areas.

Two research topics received very strong research proposals, a total of 16 in all, from a wide range of research institutes, universities and NGOs throughout the country. A number of bidders proposed innovative approaches that aimed to drive policy change both at the Provincial and national level, working with stakeholders to develop a plan for change. With strong competition, PARU’s Independent Appraisal Panel (IAP) met in March 2010 and had the difficult task of selected the four winning proposals, two each in the areas of strengthening the TVET system and agricultural contracting.

For strengthening the TVET system to the needs of the private sector, the Panel chose two approaches that in tandem where likely to bring about a policy change. Thus the Central Institute of Economic Management in collaboration with the National Institute for Vocational Training and the National Economics University, and the Institute of Labour, Science and Social Affairs proposed studies were chosen. The proposals essentially differed as one aimed working on a specific sector in collaboration with a strong industry association whilst the other proposal aimed to work across a number of industries in a specific location aimed at location specific issues.

For the agricultural contracting research study, the panel saw the potential to again use the strengths of two complementary approaches to bring about policy change. Studies proposed by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and GRET Vietnam (an INGO) were chosen. The CIEM / MARD proposal aims to work with policy makers to directly influence the re-drafting of Decree 80 – the government’s decree on contracting. The second chosen proposal – GRET – aims to develop in collaboration with Provincial government’s a specific informal approach to develop a system of contract arbitration without the need to go through the legal system. Working together the approaches provide a bottom up approach to contracting through GRET at the provincial level to underpin the top down approach pursued by CIEM / MARD to directly influence policy change.

A second ’call’ for research project submissions will be announced shortly. Details will be available at www.markets4poor.org.