Sobre UNICEF: Empleo

Social Policy Officer, Research on the Impacts of Economic Crisis on Child Poverty, Florence, Italy (Temporary Appointment)

1.Background:
Since its establishment in 1988, the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre has made ongoing contributions to understanding the social and economic determinants of child poverty and well-being and the realization of children's rights in countries in all regions. IRC generates knowledge and analysis to support policy formulation and advocacy in favour of children; acts as a convener and catalyst for knowledge-exchange and strategic reflections on children's concerns; strengthens the role of UNICEF as an intellectual leader and global advocate for children's rights; and supports programme development and capacity-building. The 2010-2011 IRC programme of research is organised into the areas of: a) socio-economic policies and child poverty and b) child protection/international standards for children.
Research in the social and economic policy area aims to increase the understanding of barriers to the realisation of children's rights and advancing child wellbeing through in-depth analysis of the many deprivations faced by children living in poverty. This work includes the identification of policy measures at the national and international levels to address deprivations faced by children in poverty, and to leverage resources for the realization of their rights.
Efforts to adapt a broader concept of child poverty have encountered methodological and operational challenges due to lack of data, often leading to indicator availability at only a general level and limited detail on the barriers to the realization of children's rights, including incomplete analysis of the interplay between areas of deprivation and disparities among regions within countries. Further research and comparative analysis are needed to understand the manifestations of poverty in children's lives; to inform policy discussions and promote the identification of country-specific time-bound targets for reducing child poverty; and to monitor progress achieved in both developing and developed countries.
IRC research pursues a multidisciplinary approach, drawing from the expertise of UNICEF and its partners and from diverse sources,  expert consultations and discussions with peer academic audiences.

Focus area: Understanding and modelling the impact of economic shocks on child poverty and deprivation. Negative economic shocks affecting household incomes and public expenditures have the potential to produce long lasting impacts on the lives of children. The food price crisis in 2007-08 and the global economic crisis started in late-2008 made clear the importance of an early understanding of the impact of economic shocks on child well-being to put in place effective policy responses. The lack of timely statistical evidence is a major constrain for performing analysis on the impact of the crisis and to test policy responses. The use of economic and econometric models (macro and micro), in simulating the effects of the crisis using existing datasets, can help in understanding the vulnerability of children and contributing to evaluate the quality of copying strategies and policy interventions. In general, very few models have been developed having children outcomes as the units of observation, despite the growing demand (in particular from UNICEF field offices) to have timely evidence of the potential impact of economic shocks on children to prepare adequate responses.
In 2008 and 2009, UNICEF IRC - in collaboration with the Regional Office for West and Central Africa and the Headquarters Division of Policy and Practice - participated in a series of studies on simulating the impact of the food and the economic crises on different dimensions of child well-being in 4 countries of Western and Central Africa. These research projects involved the preparation of an original macro-micro economic model and estimation techniques to simulate the consequences of the crisis on child poverty, nutrition, school attendance and child work and access to health services, as well as the impact of alternative policy responses. The outcomes of these studies are contributing to increase the understanding of the impact of the crisis on children and provide a tool that can be adapted to other developing countries' contexts to offer timely direction for policy action in the future.
A temporary staff member in the Professional category at the P-2 level is required to assist in the above activities.

2.Objectives:
The recent experience confirmed the important role that UNICEF IRC can have in the development of methodologies and analytical tools and in their application on the field as well as in being active part of research networks.
The main objective of the proposed Temporary Appointment is to build on the results of the 2008-09 research on the economic crisis, consolidating the UNICEF IRC position as one of the centres of reference for the socio-economic analysis on children issues, and promote and carry out research on economic shocks and children. Along with the work on simulation of the impact of economic shocks on children, the successful candidate will contribute to research on the economic and policy correlates of child mortality including in the context of economic crisis. A further area of contribution will be in simulation of the functioning and impacts of social-protection measures on child poverty.
A key overall objective is to support the Centre to explore and build partnerships in the field of child poverty research.

3. Specific activities to be completed to achieve the objectives:
Under the supervision of the Programme Specialist (Social Policy), the incumbent will:
a. Undertake a range of research and research support on understanding and modelling the impact of economic shocks on child poverty and deprivation in developing, middle-income and industrialized countries;
b. Contribute specifically to the preparation/finalization of research proposals on modelling the impact of economic shocks on children and on understanding the socio-economic determinants of child mortality in different development contexts; carry out methodological work and applied research on these studies, and support their coordination;
c. Serve as a focal point in the Socio-Economic Policy unit for related initiatives led by UNICEF country and regional offices. Contribute to the development of a child poverty research network (focusing on developing countries and aiming to support research capacity development);
d. Contribute to dissemination initiatives of the research results.

4. Key expected results:
a. Development and consolidation of methodological tools for the simulation of the impact of economic shocks on children and for understanding the correlates of child mortality.
b. Co-organization of a technical consultation on developing methodological tools for understanding the impact of economic changes on children.
c. Preparation and finalization of research documents/papers/reports.

5. Qualifications and/or specialized knowledge/experience required and desirable for undertaking the assignment:
Requirements:
. Advanced degree in economics/public policy with specialization or experience in labour economics, poverty analysis, development studies, public finance or other relevant fields
. Three years of experience of research on socio-economic issues in developing countries. In particular in development and use of macro and micro simulation models.
. Professional publications in relevant academic and policy areas
. Good knowledge of STATA and of other advanced statistical packages
. Written and spoken English and French language skills are required
. Ability to organize own work, and work according to deadlines
Desirable:
. PhD or equivalent training in a relevant social science field
. Experience in using academic websites for research
. Familiarity with international norms and standards for children including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

6. Duration of the Appointment: 01 March to 31 December 2010.

7. Work location: This is an office-based temporary position at UNICEF, IRC in Florence, Italy.

8. Fees: In accordance with applicable salary scale of P-2 level.

9. How to Apply:Applications shall be sent, electronically, to florencerecruitment@unicef.org, quoting "Temporary Appointment for research on impacts of economic crisis on children".
Applications should include:
1. A brief cover letter
2. A full CV;
3. A completed United Nations Personal History Form.The form may be downloaded from the internet at www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc
Deadline for applications: 31 January 2010.