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Poverty Studies Announcements, April 2008

IRP distributes this compilation of poverty-related employment and research opportunities as a service to the larger poverty research and policy community; it is not intended to serve as a comprehensive resource, nor does inclusion imply endorsement.

*Denotes new listing; deadlines in parentheses

Employment/Fellowships/Grants

MPR/ASPE: African American Marriage & Health RFP (4/30/08)*
Institute of Education Sciences: New FY 2009 RFPs*
RWJF RFP for Active-Living Research (5/14/08)*
FANRP Food Assistance & Nutrition Research RFP (5/19/08)*
Fulbright Scholar Prog. for U.S. Faculty & Professionals (8/1/08)*
Maxwell School Teaching Case & Simulation (10/1/08)*
OPRE/ACF Child Care Policy Research: 3 New RFPS (5/13/08)*
OPRE Head Start Graduate Student RFP (6/16/08)*
WKKF/FCD Strategic Knowledge Fund*
IRP-USDA/ERS RIDGE Grants RFP (5/2/08)
IRP Visiting Scholars Program 2008–09 (6/30/08)
Hamilton Project Policy Innovation Prize Competition (8/1/08)
W. T. Grant Scholars Program 2008–09

Research/Training

PEELS and NLTS2 Database Training Seminars (4/30/08)*
ELS-NELS Summer Training Seminars*
Econometrics Workshop at IRP, August 4-6, 2008 (7/1/08)

Calls for Abstracts/Papers

ATINER Intl. Conference 0n Business & Economic Research (6/6/08)*
EGPA SGII: Public Sector Performance (5/1/08)
Federal Reserve System Community Affairs Conference (7/15/08)


Employment/Fellowships/Grants

MPR/ASPE: African American Marriage & Health RFP (4/30/08)*

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation within the Department of Health and Human Services has contracted Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) to commission a series of research briefs examining the link between marriage and health in the African American community.

MPR plans to fund up to six proposals at $10,000 per award. Proposals are due April 30, 2008.

For the full RFP, see http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/amhr/index.asp


Institute of Education Sciences: Three New FY 2009 RFPs*

IES has released three new funding announcements for FY 2009: Education Research Training Grants (84.305B); Education Research and Development Center Grants (84.305C); and Special Education Research Training Grants (84.324B). The Requests for Applications are available at <http://ies.ed.gov/funding/>.


RWJF RFP for Active Living Research (5/14/08)*

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Active Living Research program is pleased to announce the release of our Call for Proposals (CFP) – Round 8. This call for proposals is the first to reflect a new emphasis for Active Living Research, which will focus on supporting research to inform policy and environmental strategies for increasing physical activity among children and adolescents, decreasing their sedentary behaviors and preventing obesity.

Approximately $3.3 million will be awarded for research grants exploring four topics relating to youth physical activity and sedentary behavior at the population level. Information on the recommended research topics is outlined in the complete call for proposals. Funds also are available for Dissertation Awards.

All proposals must be submitted through The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Grantmaking Online system. The full proposal submission deadline is Wednesday, May 14, 2008, 1:00 p.m. PDT. Please visit our Web site (http://www.activelivingresearch.org/grantsearch/grantopportunities) for more information and to link to the RWJF Grantmaking Online system.

If you have any questions about the proposal submission process, please contact Amanda Wilson, Research Coordinator, at awilson@projects.sdsu.edu or 619-260-5538.


FANRP Food Assistance & Nutrition Research RFP (5/19/08)*

The USDA Economic Research Service’s Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program is now accepting proposals for grants and cooperative agreements for Fiscal 2008. The three priority research areas are (1) Food Choices: Economic Determinants and Consequences, (2) Economic Incentives in Food Assistance Programs, and (3) Food Assistance as an Economic Safety Net. This publication describes the research areas and application requirements. Funding for competitive awards in fiscal 2008 is approximately $2 million. The deadline for proposal submission is May 19, 2008.

You may download the full announcement and application package at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AP/ap027/DBGen.htm


Fulbright Scholar Program for U.S. Faculty & Professionals (8/1/08)*

The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering 79 lecturing, research, or combined lecturing/research awards in public administration during the 2009-2010 academic year. U.S. Fulbright Scholars in over 130 countries around the world enjoy an experience of a lifetime, gaining a broad cultural perspective on their academic disciplines and connecting with colleagues at institutions around the globe.

Awards range from two months to an academic year. Faculty and professionals in public administration apply for awards specifically in their field or for one of the many “All Discipline” awards open to any field. Grants are awarded to faculty of all academic ranks, including adjunct and emeritus. In most countries lecturing is in English, though awards in Latin America, Francophone Africa, and the Middle East may require proficiency in another language.

The application deadline for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants worldwide is August 1, 2008. U.S. citizenship is required. For other eligibility requirements, detailed award descriptions, and an application, visit our website at www.cies.org, or send a request for materials to apprequest@cies.iie.org.


Maxwell School Teaching Case & Simulation Competition (10/1/08)*

Collaborative Public Management, Networks and Public Management, Collaborative Governance, and Collaborative Problem Solving

Competition winners: $5,000 prize for best teaching case, $5,000 for best teaching simulation, and up to ten additional $1,000 honorable mention prizes

Public managers who work in networks often find themselves not solely as unitary leaders of unitary organizations. Instead, they often find themselves collaborating in multiorganizational networked arrangements and with the public to solve problems that cannot be solved, or solved easily, by single organizations. Collaborative public management, networks and public management, collaborative governance, and collaborative problem solving are fast becoming essential topics in many public management and public policy programs. But collaboration is not simply a body of substantive knowledge; it is also a set of skills. We believe that one of the best ways to prepare students to operate in networks is through the use of case studies, simulations and negotiation exercises.

To further stimulate the creation of effective and innovative teaching cases and simulations in this area, the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (PARC) at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University is sponsoring a second annual competition.  The competition seeks to encourage the development of new cases and new simulations to be used in teaching collaborative public management, collaborative governance and/or collaborative problem solving. The competition will provide one $5,000 prize for best teaching case, one $5,000 prize for best teaching simulation, and up to ten $1,000 honorable mention prizes.

Case studies should be approximately 15-25 type-written pages (double-spaced). Simulations should include a minimum of 6 players. All entries must include a teaching note. To access last year’s award-winning cases and simulations, please go to www.maxwell.syr.edu/parc/eparc.

The work of all winners will be published online and will be downloadable free of charge at E-PARC (www.maxwell.syr.edu/parc/eparc). E-PARC is a new endeavor of the Maxwell School’s “Collaborative Governance Initiative” launched in the summer of 2007. E-PARC provides free on-line resources for those who teach collaborative public management, networks and public management, collaborative governance, and collaborative problem solving around the world.

To enter: Submit original teaching case studies and teaching simulations no later than October 1, 2008. Finalists will be notified by November 1, 2008.

All entries should be submitted electronically to PARC@maxwell.syr.edu.

Questions should be directed to:

Rosemary O’Leary, Distinguished Professor
The Maxwell School of Syracuse University
roleary@maxwell.syr.edu


OPRE/ACF Child Care Policy Research: 3 New RFPS (5/13/08)*

Child Care Research Scholars
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2008-ACF-OPRE-YE-0010.html
Eligible Applicants: Doctoral level graduate students enrolled in institutions of higher education including Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).

This funding will support dissertation research, conducted in partnership with State Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies, regarding child care policy issues. Applicants may apply for project periods up to two years and will be awarded up to $30,000 for the first year and up to $20,000 for the second year of the project. Four to six individual grants are expected to be awarded.

Child Care State Research Capacity
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2008-ACF-OPRE-YE-0031.html
Eligible Applicants: State, Territory and Tribal governments

Funds will be provided for cooperative agreements to support Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies’ analyses of administrative data; data improvements, including linking data across programs; and measurement of the effects of CCDF on program outcomes. Applicants may apply for project periods up to three years and will be awarded up to $250,000 for the first year and up to $200,000 for each of the second and third years of the project. Three to four individual cooperative agreements are expected to be awarded.

Child Care and Early Education Research Connections
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2008-ACF-OPRE-YE-0014.html
Eligible Applicants: Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education, Non-profits with 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education), Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations, Small businesses, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

Funds will be provided for a cooperative agreement to operate Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (CCEERC) (www.researchconnections.org) for five years. Applicants will be awarded up to $1,500,000 for the first year and up to $1,500,000 for each for the subsequent years for the duration of this cooperative agreement. One cooperative agreement is expected to be awarded.


OPRE Head Start Graduate Student RFP (6/16/08)*

Eligible Applicants: Doctoral-level graduate students enrolled in accredited public, State-controlled, and private institutions of higher education, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).

Funds are provided for Graduate Student Research Grants to support dissertation research by advanced graduate students who are working in partnership with Head Start programs and with faculty mentors. Applicants may apply for project periods up to two years and will be awarded up to $25,000 per budget period, for a total not exceeding $50,000. Up to ten individual grants are expected to be awarded.

Visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2008-ACF-OPRE-YR-0068.html for further details.


WKKF/FCD Strategic Knowledge Fund*

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) and the Foundation for Child Development (FCD), have joined to create a Strategic Knowledge Fund to understand and improve the lives of vulnerable children, from birth to age eight.

WKKF has committed $1,200,000 to the two-year partnership. The Fund will be managed by FCD, which will make at least a one-to-one match of FCD to WKKF funds. Co-funded projects will aim to increase knowledge about children, particularly those who are at-risk for poor educational outcomes.

WKKF and FCD have agreed to the following criteria to guide grant selection:

  • Grants must be aligned with the WKKF and the FCD mission statements.
  • Grants must be focused on the current program interests of both foundations. These include a focus on children during the first decade of life with specific attention to low-income children of color and children living in immigrant families.
  • Grants must demonstrate connections among research, policy, and practice, and the role of advocacy in creating policies that create change for the largest numbers of children and their families.

For further information, visit the WKKF’s Web site at www.wkkf.org and FCD’s web site at www.fcd-us.org.


IRP-USDA/ERS RIDGE Grants RFP (5/2/08)

This Request for Proposals is for 2008-09 IRP-USDA Research, Innovation, and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program proposals. The deadline is May 2, 2008, for submission of applications for the 2008-2009 award period, which runs from July 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009.

Please share this information with anyone who might be interested in applying.

A program description and application guidelines are available at http://www.irp.wisc.edu/initiatives/funding/usdasgp.htm.

The intent of the IRP-USDA Research, Innovation, and Development Grants in Economics Program competition is to stimulate new areas of interest in research on food insecurity and food assistance programs, such as Food Stamps, school lunch and breakfast programs, summer food programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

The Institute for Research on Poverty cosponsors this grants program with the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program supports small grants for studies focusing on topics such as food insecurity and the effects of food assistance programs on income security and other indicators of well-being among low-income individuals and families.


IRP Visiting Scholars Program 2008-09 (6/30/08)

The Institute for Research on Poverty invites applications from U.S.-based social science scholars from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to visit IRP, interact with its faculty in residence, and become acquainted with the staff and resources of the Institute. The invitation extends (but is not restricted) to those who are in the early years of their academic careers. The intent of the program, which is supported by the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is to enhance the research interests and resources available to visitors, to foster interaction between resident IRP affiliates and a diverse set of scholars, and to broaden the corps of poverty researchers.

Visits of one to two weeks’ duration by three scholars can be supported during either fall or spring semester of the academic year 2008–09. The scholars will be invited to give a seminar, to work on their own projects, and to confer with an IRP faculty host, who will arrange for interchange with other IRP affiliates. Transportation, lodging, and meal expenses will be covered by IRP.

Interested scholars should send a letter describing their poverty research interests and experience, the proposed dates for a visit, a current curriculum vitae, and two examples of written material to Robin Snell, Institute for Research on Poverty, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison WI 53706; fax: 608-265-3119; e-mail: rsnell@ssc.wisc.edu.

The deadline for applications is June 30, 2008.


Hamilton Project Policy Innovation Prize Competition (8/1/08)

The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution invites students to participate in its second annual Economic Policy Innovation Prize competition. The Project will award $25,000 in prizes for the best innovative policy proposals written by undergraduate and graduate-level students. The top graduate-level proposal will be awarded $10,000 and the top undergraduate proposal will be awarded $5,000, with the remaining $10,000 divided among the runner(s)-up. In addition to the cash prizes, the winning students may also be invited to turn their proposals into discussion papers issued by The Hamilton Project.

The goal of The Hamilton Project Policy Innovation Prize is to encourage the next generation of leaders to rigorously pursue innovative policy solutions to the pressing economic issues facing our nation. The former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, a founding member of The Hamilton Project Advisory Council, recently awarded the first undergraduate and graduate-level prizes at an event in Washington, DC.

The Hamilton Prize is open to students at accredited U.S. educational institutions. The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2008. Hamilton Project Director Jason Furman will organize a committee to select the winning proposals.

For more information on The Hamilton Project, or to see copies of the 2007 winning proposals, please visit our website at www.hamiltonproject.org.


W. T. Grant Scholars Program 2008–09

The William T. Grant Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the 2008–2009 William T. Grant Scholars Program Brochure. The Scholars Program funds promising early-career researchers from diverse disciplines. It supports the professional development of early-career scholars who have demonstrated success in conducting high-quality research and who are seeking to further develop their skills and research. Studies from William T. Grant Scholars contribute to theory, policy, and practice on the settings of young people ages 8 to 25.

The new Brochure contains a description of the program, application guidelines, and a list of current William T. Grant Scholars. The Foundation is particularly interested in reaching applicants of color.

The Scholars Brochure and additional information about the Scholars Program are available on our website at: http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/info-url_nocat3042/info-url_nocat_show.htm?doc_id=76878&attrib_id=4398. Questions about the program should be sent to info@wtgrantfdn.org.


Research/Training

PEELS and NLTS2 Database Training Seminars (4/30/08)*

Two three-day seminars on the use of longitudinal datasets for education research and policy analysis will be held June 24-26, 2008 in Washington D.C. The seminars will focus on the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) database and the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) database. PEELS and NLTS2 study children and youth with disabilities and are administered by the National Center for Special Education Research within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Both seminars are open to advanced graduate students and faculty members from colleges and universities nationwide and to researchers, education practitioners, and policy analysts from federal, state, and local education and human services agencies and professional associations. The application deadline is April 30.

PEELS

The PEELS includes a sample of over 3,000 children with disabilities and is designed to describe the characteristics of children receiving preschool special education, their educational programs and services, and their transitions from preschool programs to elementary schools. For more information about PEELS, see http://www.peels.org/

For more information about the PEELS database training seminar, see http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=334

NLTS2

The NLTS2 includes a sample of more than 11,000 students with disabilities and is designed to support research on a wide range of topics pertaining to youth with disabilities as they move from secondary school into adult roles. For more information about NLTS2, see http://www.nlts2.org

For more information about the NLTS2 database training seminar, see http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=335


ELS-NELS Summer Training Seminars*

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences will offer two professional development sessions on the use of NCES current high school longitudinal studies data this summer in Washington, D.C.

The first session will be held June 16-18, and the second session will take place July 21-23. Both training sessions will cover the same content from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Each session, lasting for 2 1/2 days, will include:

  • detailed overviews of the ELS:2002 and NELS:88 sample designs, data components, and sample coverage;
  • methodological and technological issues relevant to data use;
  • instruction and practice on how to analyze longitudinal data; and
  • hands-on experience in analyzing the participant’s own research problems.

Applications to attend the June 16-18 session are being accepted now and will be competitively reviewed. Most expenses to attend a session will be covered by NCES. For more information, visit this link at the NCES website: http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?cid=2


Econometrics Workshop at IRP, august 4-6, 2008 (7/1/08)

August 4-6, 2008, IRP will host “A Course in Applied Microeconometrics” taught by Guido Imbens, Harvard University, and Jeffrey Wooldridge, Michigan State University.

In this course--which is based on the instructors’ successful course, “What’s New in Econometrics,” which they taught at NBER in summer 2007—the instructors will discuss developments in microeconometrics over the last decade and a half. The focus will be on methods that are relevant for, and ready to be used by, empirical researchers, and the course is aimed exactly at such researchers.

In contrast to much of the published literature in the more technical econometrics and statistics journals, Imbens and Wooldridge focus on practical issues important in implementation of the methods and for reading and understanding of the literature. There will be little discussion of technical details, for which they will refer to the literature.

Space is limited, registrations accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The registration deadline is either when full or July 1.

Visit the IRP Web site for a course syllabus and registration information, at: www.irp.wisc.edu.


Calls for Abstracts/Papers

ATINER Intl. Conference on Business & Economic Research (6/6/08)*

The 2nd International City Break Conference on Business and Economic Research will take place in Athens, Greece, 17-20 October 2008. Abstracts are due by June 6, 2008.

See the conference Web site for further details: http://www.atiner.gr/bec.htm.


EGPA SGII: Public Sector Performance (5/1/08)

The EGPA Study Group on Performance in the Public Sector will meet in 2008 during the EGPA annual conference (3-6 September, Rotterdam, the Netherlands).

This year’s theme will be “What does it mean to perform? Defining performance in the public sector.” The call for papers is attached, and can also be found on the study group website http://www.publicsectorperformance.eu

The deadline for the submission of abstracts is May 1, 2008. Papers will be selected by the chairpersons no later than June 1st 2008. Final papers are due by 31 July 2008 at the latest.

For general information on the EGPA annual conference, and for the calls of the other study groups, please consult the 2008 conference page http://www.egpa2008.com/


Federal Reserve System Community Affairs Conference (7/15/08)

Innovative Financial Services for the Underserved: Opportunities and Outcomes, April 16-17, 2009, Washington, D.C.

The Community Affairs officers of the Federal Reserve System are jointly sponsoring their sixth biennial research conference to encourage objective research into financial services issues affecting low-and moderate-income individuals, families, and communities. The theme of the 2009 conference centers on innovation in financial services. What innovations have occurred and what is emerging? Who benefits from these innovations? Do traditionally underserved populations benefit? Do these innovative financial services serve as an entry point into the financial mainstream? Have we gone too far in creating additional access to financial services, in particular, access to credit? What is the proper balance between access and consumer protection? What role does financial literacy play in striking that balance? Finally, what is the impact of innovation in financial services on economic and social mobility?

The program committee welcomes the submission of papers (preferably) or abstracts of papers that address these topics. Papers that stress empirically verifiable, statistically valid research are highly preferred and are more likely to be accepted for the conference.

Visit http://www.richmondfed.org/community_affairs/ or see the call for papers.


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Posted: 6 December, 2004
Last Updated: 24 April, 2008