Second phase of Program to Support Research into Development Issues announced

The Andean Development Corporation (CAF) announced the opening of the second phase of the Support Program for Research into Development Issues, intended for graduate students working on doctoral theses that deal with the issues on the institution’s agenda for promotion of regional development, and for researchers from local centers who have unpublished works on areas of interest for the organization.

The CAF executive president, Enrique García, said the purpose of the program, which began last year, was to deepen knowledge of problems that affect the region’s development plans and address the challenges created by this process.

The program aims to establish relations with young local researchers to offer assistance and put them in contact with more experienced researchers, García added.

Last year the CAF received over 70 proposals from 13 countries which were evaluated under three conditions: 1) relevance to the CAF agenda for promotion of development; 2) academic quality of the works; and 3) relevance to CAF’s development policies. From the entries, the panel selected three guest researchers and four research works.

The program is divided into two parts: selection of the guest researchers who will work in the CAF headquarters for three months on the selected topics; and a competition for research works on areas of interest to the CAF to be developed by the researchers in their own centers.

This year the keynote theme was How to resume growth in Latin America? from which four areas were chosen: macroeconomic environment and growth; natural resources, competitiveness and growth; macroeconomic policies and growth; natural capital and growth.

The Guest Researchers Program will give priority to graduate students, including students outside the region, who are beginning or are halfway through their doctoral dissertations.

In the Competition for Research Works, priority will be given to researchers in local universities, although, works from graduate students in the region could also be considered within the scope of their doctoral dissertations.