Aid and the British Public

Involve is looking for a paid intern to carry out a literature review to test the assumptions and hypotheses that lie behind our current thinking about the relationship between the British Government and the public in relation to the spending of the UK aid budget.

Background

The views and perceptions of UK citizens about aid development are important in determining how the UK aid budget is spent. It shapes not just the volume, but the strings attached to aid and the accountability mechanisms the aid is subject to. Involve’s hypothesis is that better public understanding of development processes will lead to greater aid effectiveness, through more appropriate accountability and management of aid spending. We believe this will in turn lead to public support for longer-term, poverty-focused and more effective development work.

Role

• Deepening a preliminary literature review into the relationship between aid agencies and two key stakeholders groups – the taxpayers of the the UK and more broadly the global North who provide funds, and the public in the global South where and for whom nominally the development funds are spent. The research will result in a literature review on the topic of “What are the theories regarding how the aid chain connects with, and mediates, between these two ‘publics’?
• Mapping the extent to which debates about public engagement within the fields of science and technology are relevant to the debate about the British public’s relationship to aid.

There is the potential that the literature review(s) will be published on Involve’s website if it is of sufficient quality.

Candidates will have to demonstrate the following skills, experience and knowledge as a minimum:

• A Masters in a relevant discipline
• A proven ability to write clearly, concisely and in an engaging manner
• Experience of using one or more relevant research databases

What you will gain

• The skills needed for working in a fast paced, dynamic environment
• A good understanding of public policy development and the citizen-government relationship.
• The ability to manage the content of websites and social media platforms
• Experience of writing public blogs, articles and e-newsletters/flyers
• Experience working in the voluntary sector
• Conditions

Conditions: 2.5 days/week for 3 months.