AERC Annual Report 2020/2021
| dc.contributor.author | AERC | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-10-17T08:55:51Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-10-17T08:55:51Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The year 2020/21 marks the first year of implementation of the AERC Strategic Plan for 2020-2025, which was approved by the AERC Board at its meeting in March 2020. It also marks 33 years since the AERC was established as a premier capacity building institution through research and graduate training in economics. The main objective being to inform economic policies and strengthen institutions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The 2020-2025 planning cycle recognizes the changing policy landscape and attendant economic challenges; effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that has challenged the health care infrastructure, increasing youth unemployment, widening inequality, and rising poverty. Some of these challenges were well stated by Ernest Aryeetey and Frances Stewart in the 2015-2020 AERC Strategic Evaluation Report. The AERC has had great achievements in the last three decades in bringing rigour and evidence to policy making in SSA. Going forward, the AERC is changing the modality of delivery along the research and policy value chain. This includes opening new approaches to enhance relevance, building upon the unique convening power of the organization and scaling up AERC’s services to support policymakers in their efforts to build a stronger economic foundation for SSA economies. By becoming a valued partner and encouraging other like-minded institutions and organizations to join in partnership, the AERC will expand capacity for economic policy making across the region as well as policy impact for positive development outcomes in SSA economies. In implementing the Strategic Plan 2020- 2025, AERC will enhance the mark of improved quality, that will define its own momentum for sustainability and create a new era and platform for policy influence in SSA economies. This is the new approach that AERC has adopted for capacity building in the current planning cycle. This approach will fundamentally change the way AERC operates, moving from an objectives-based approach to a theme-based approach, and focusing on outcome pathways and impact measurement, in both the short- and long-term periods. The core of AERC’s efforts to improve the quality of thematic research will be driven by the collaborative research model. In this case, Resource Persons will develop collaborative research projects that will attract young researchers across Thematic Groups and this path will raise the quality of research in Thematic Groups and provide a supply of research themes for young researchers, including the Collaborative PhD Programme (CPP) students. Teams of researchers will evolve from individual thematic research projects, prescreening of new proposals by thematic group resource persons, and methodological technical workshops and mentorships will be conducted to enhance analytical skills of early career researchers. Quality improvement in the training programme will involve reviewing the curriculum of all core and elective courses and adopting digital learning in all collaborative training programmes. Reforms in CPP thesis research are also envisaged to advance novel ideas that are well articulated with scientific evidence to influence policy and increase the number of publications by CPP students in internationally refereed journals. A cohort of new professors/lecturers of high academic calibre within network universities and other reputable institutions will be appointed to ensure high quality level training in line with the quality target research defined by AERC and ensuring that the training meet the skills needs for African labour market as well as supply of researchers for the AERC network. At the same time, the training targeting government officials on the continent in the design and evaluation of policies will be considered a priority to facilitate the emergence of sustainable economic policies and the promotion of quality governance. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://publication.aercafricalibrary.org/handle/123456789/3907 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | AERC | |
| dc.title | AERC Annual Report 2020/2021 | |
| dc.type | Other |