Organized by the American University’s Care Work and the Economy Project and Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

The purpose of this course is to engage with fellow economists to enhance capacity building in research and teaching of gender-sensitive economic analysis, with a focus on care and macroeconomic policy aspects. The course will be built on four pillars: a) understanding and measuring the care economy; b) adapting social accounting matrices to account for paid and unpaid care activities; c) integrating the information from time-use surveys on unpaid care activities with other relevant sources of information such as national income accounts, labor force surveys and household or special surveys; and d) performing policy-relevant economic analyses that take systematic account of the interlinkages between care, macroeconomic processes,  and distribution.  Our goal is to guide the participants toward the formulation of viable research projects focused on addressing care needs in developing countries through a better understanding of the care economy and the formulation of gender-sensitive macroeconomic policies. Hence, the program will comprise lectures by experts and hands-on training in analytics.

We are especially interested in participants who either would like to or are currently involved in research aimed at influencing policymaking in order to address care needs in their countries. We particularly seek applications from the following countries: Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Senegal, Morocco, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Vietnam. Women and minorities (ethnic, racial, and other) are encouraged to apply.

We encourage economists in academia, research institutions, government, and civil society organizations to apply. The applicants must have completed at least two years of study in a graduate economics program or have received a Masters’ or Ph.D. degree in economics. We also expect that participants have the ability to analyze data using Excel. We also consider the ability to analyze data with STATA or other similar statistical software such as R highly desirable.These requirements may be waived under exceptional circumstances. The program will be conducted in English. Therefore, applicants are expected to be fluent in written and spoken English.

The course has two components. The self-study preparatory module of the course will require the students to complete a set of assigned readings before the start of the virtual intensive course. These readings will help the students acquaint themselves with the conceptual and technical aspects of the material to be covered in the course. The second component of the course is the set of lectures and hands-on training to be conducted virtually. There will be some degree of overlap between the readings for the self-study module and the required readings assigned for the lectures. The goal of the online lectures and group exercises/discussions is to deepen the understanding of the participants regarding the topics discussed in the self-study module and introduce the participants to recent research in gender-aware economic analysis with a focus on policy issues. We will also provide hands-on training in developing the modeling skills of the participants, including training in gender-sensitive analysis using packages such as STATA.

The course will be conducted over three weeks. Five days a week, students are expected to do the required reading and then meet virtually with instructors and fellow students. We estimate that the required reading will take at least an hour for most participants. Each meeting consists of an hour of lecture followed by an hour of group discussion or exercises guided by instructors. Sessions will be held daily over three weeks between 10 am and 12:15 pm (EDT, GMT, and ICT). Given the format and time requirements of the course, applicants are expected to make this time commitment for the entire duration of the course. Accepted applicants will be provided a modest stipend to help meet such needs as childcare, internet, and software, upon completion of the course.

We are offering the course in three time zones: Eastern Time (EDT: UTC–05:00), Greenwich Mean Time (GMT: UTC+0), and Indochina Time (ICT: UTC+8:00). The curriculum is uniform across time zones. We require that students admitted to the course choose one time zone for the entire course, to facilitate a more cohesive and effective learning experience. The course will be held between June 28, 2021, and July 16, 2021, for the EDT and GMT time zones and between June 29, 2021, and July 17, 2021, for the ICT time zone.

The deadline for applications is April 8, 2021. We will communicate the decision on participation by May 8, 2021. If you require further information regarding the course, please contact: the AU-Levy Intensive Course Administrator, Thomas Masterson (masterso@levy.org), cc:  Care Work and the Economy (CWE-GAM) Project Manager, Shirin Arslan (sarslan@american.edu).

This course is made possible by the generous support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Application procedure

Please submit your application package via the form at this link. Email Thomas Masterson if you have any questions at: masterso@levy.org.

The application package should be a single PDF document. It should contain:

1. Current curriculum vita that includes the following:
   1. Personal information: name, address, date of birth, nationality, and sex.
   2. Educational background: institutions attended beginning with the current or most recent; and degree awarded in each institution.
   3. Employment: list of employers beginning with the current or most recent; and, brief description of the position held and responsibilities at each job.
   4. Language proficiency: native language, whether English was a medium of instruction, and score in English proficiency test, if applicable.
2. Sample of written academic work in English.
3. Personal statement (under 750 words): a brief description of the applicant’s background, experience, and motivation for taking the course.
4. For applicants currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program or with a Ph.D. or M.A. degree in the last two years, a copy of their transcripts in the Ph.D. or the M.A. program.

Letter of recommendation from someone familiar with the applicant’s training in economics.