The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region has been disproportionately affected by overlapping shocks due to persistent structural challenges such as deep inequalities, high vulnerability to poverty, low productivity, and recurring climate-related events. At the same time, a limited capacity to respond to citizens’ demands is undermining trust in governments and public institutions, causing alarming levels of frustration and social unrest that combine with the uncertainty and fear derived from the multiple crises impacting the region. The region is also characterized by a very low and declining trust in institutions.
In addition, LAC is currently experiencing significantly increased levels of political polarization, going from being the second least polarized region to the second most polarized in the world in just 20 years. Such a degree of polarization hinders the ability of societies to collectively build a country, to expand the opportunities and conditions for human development, and distances them from plurality and democracy itself. These cracks in democracy’s support base open the door to populist and authoritarian regimes and can leave institutions vulnerable to organized crime.
A new development trajectory is needed for LAC, one where structural issues and threats are addressed by taking advantage of the opportunities that emerge, one that recovers the relationship between democracy and development in the 21st century, and one that provides people with the ability to structure their lives on equal terms, allowing them to exercise rights and sustain processes of participation and representation. In this sense, democracy and human development are mutually reinforcing, allowing the expansion of opportunities and capacities of individuals and communities.
The Democracy and Development Report for LAC (DDR) aims to contribute to revitalizing the region's democracies from an inclusive and resilient human development approach. It hopes to be a mechanism to help build legitimacy and the capacities of institutions to deliver to their citizens, to increase their coordination, inclusion, and social innovation, from the production of knowledge, participation, and promotion of dialogue and alliances between institutional, political, social, academic, and business actors. The success of the DDR report will depend on the active participation of all stakeholders and the quality of the inputs collected.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Research Analyst will be responsible for the following functions, in direct coordination and under the supervision of the DDR Project Specialist:
Research and analysis
Support the development and implementation of a comprehensive research strategy that aligns with the scope defined for the DDR's objectives. Define key research areas, methodologies, and timelines to ensure effective implementation ensuring a democratizing research process that provides for diverse participation and engagement of different groups of people and organizations in the research process, so that diverse life experiences, knowledge, and attitudes in societies around democracy and development are understood.
Develop and implement mapping activities, including stakeholder and ecosystem mappings, assessments, and similar activities and output documents. Identify and document best practices and lessons learned from similar initiatives globally as well as potential collaborators and partners.
Lead and consider new research initiatives that investigate the relationship between democracy and development and other prioritized themes.
Support the project team in the analysis of data and information; perform data quality control and utilize research findings and data analysis to inform the development of analytical and outreach products based on the analysis of such data among other evidence to identify trends and patterns, identifying areas of success and areas where more attention is needed.
Stay up-to-date with current state of affairs and trends related to the democracy and development nexus.
Identify collaborative relationships with national and international experts in the areas related to the DDR to gain valuable insights and expertise.
Contribute to strengthening partnerships with academic institutions, research organizations, and think tanks to strengthen the initiative's research capacity and access to relevant data and expertise
Knowledge management
Support the establishment of a robust knowledge management system to organize and store research data, reports, and other relevant materials. Ensure easy access to knowledge resources for the initiative's team and external stakeholders, as needed.
Develop templates and forms to be used by the site teams for data collection that would align with data management needs and requirements to improve data collection and analysis.
Prepare inputs for communicating the intermediate and final results of the research to different Project bodies such as the Steering Committee, the Advisory Board, the UNDP RBLAC Team, and other relevant bodies. Disseminate such results through different channels and as defined by the Project coordination.
Support the coordination with other initiatives at both country and regional levels, in addition to fostering synergies and knowledge-sharing among various projects to enhance overall impact.
Maintain effective communication and coordination with other teams, such as the RBLAC regional Hub in Panama, UNDP country offices, the Regional Human Development Report (RHDR), and others. This includes sharing updates, coordinating research activities, sharing data and findings, and jointly providing inputs for reports and publications, as defined by the coordination of both projects.
Contribute to the management and facilitation of workshops, seminars, and conferences to share knowledge and foster learning.
Encourage a culture of continuous learning within the project team.
Support project implementation
Provide Administrative and operational support to project implementation, ensuring quality of business processes.
Actively participate in project work planning, monitoring, and reporting, including the preparation of the procurement plan in cooperation with the Project Specialist.
Engage in resource mobilization efforts, including preparing funding proposals and donor briefings, to secure support for the DDR process, as needed.
Support the fulfillment of different reporting requirements and deadlines, including drafting letters and assisting with the preparation of all types of agreements for the project.
Participate, as required, in interview processes as secretary of the panel, contact candidates, and ensure that supporting documents are completed for submission of the request for contract documents to the relevant units.
Maintain and file records, documents, and work plans for the monitoring of project implementation.
Assist with organizing events and arranging meetings and missions; ensuring travel claims and other entitlements are duly processed.
Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the project.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, gender studies, social sciences, international relations, or public administration is required or
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience can be accepted in lieu of the master`s degree.
Experience:
Up to 2 years (with master’s degree) or minimum 2 years (with bachelor’s degree) of working experience in academic investigations and research, preferable on the fields of democracy and development, at the international level; or work experience leading the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of research, with multidisciplinary groups and under a participatory approach.
Required skills and competencies:
Experience in academic/research, development, consulting, and/or public sector institutions.
Experience preparing relevant research in democracy and development-related fields.
Experience in research considering gender mainstreaming approaches.
