PAIC Study Trip to Kyiv “Ukraine 2019: Elections, Reforms, and Civil Society”

Published by Bojana

Deadline: 28 September 2018
Open to: PhD student or (advanced) Master student of any academic background with Institutional linkage with a German or European research institution, think tank and/or university
Benefits: travel and accommodation in total amount of EUR 380 costs will be covered by the IEP

Description

The Institute for European Politics (IEP) is pleased to announce the call for applications for participation in the study trip

“Ukraine 2019: Elections, Reforms, and Civil Society” which takes place from 4 – 9 November 2018 in Kyiv, Ukraine within the project “Platform for Analytics and Intercultural Communication” (PAIC).

Since the change of government following the Euromaidan movements in 2014 and the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine entered into force in 2017, the country initiated more reforms than in the previous two decades since its independence. These reforms are touching all political and social spheres in Ukraine, such as the energy market, public administration & decentralization, the judicial system or the fight against corruption among others. By launching public campaigns, publishing policy analyses or cooperating with domestic and international stakeholders, Ukrainian civil society organisations played a crucial role within this reform process.

This study trip aims at providing first-hand insights on the work of civil society organisations within the Ukrainian reform process and will address following questions:

  • (How) do these organisations influence the political decision-making in Ukraine?
  • Which problems and barriers do Ukrainian civil society organisations face in their daily work?
  • How does the cooperation with state actors function?
  • Which reform areas are especially successful? Which areas face the most obstacles?

The participants will meet and exchange with experts from Ukrainian key think tanks/civil society organisations and will have the chance discuss the newest socio-political developments, the current state of the reform process as well as the outlook for Ukraine in the light of the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections (i.e.: domestic and international affairs of Ukraine, security and defense policy, decentralization, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, social policies or the humanitarian situation in Ukraine).

The project “Platform for Analytics and Intercultural Communication” is organized in cooperation with the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Think Tank Development Initiative “think twice UA” and is kindly supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The project aims at promoting professional expertise among Ukrainian think tanks, creating synergies between German and Ukrainian think tanks and transferring knowledge about developments in Ukraine to Germany.

Eligibility

The IEP would like to invite young (future) researchers who fulfill the following attributes:

  • A profound (research) interest in Ukraine and/or Eastern Partnership Countries;
  • Institutional linkage with a German or European research institution, think tank and/or university;
  • PhD student or (advanced) Master student of any academic background;
  • A very good command of the German & English language (C1);
  • Strong (research) interest in topics related to domestic and international affairs of Ukraine, security and defense policy, decentralization, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, social policies or the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Benefits

  • Travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the IEP. This includes the travel (flights, busses, trains) to Kyiv and back as well as the hotel accommodation. Please note, that only a total of 380 EUR per person can be reimbursed for travel expenses;
  • Moreover, daily lump sums for food expenses are paid out and a farewell dinner as well as public transport in Kyiv is also covered by the IEP.

How to apply?

In order to apply you need to fill in the application form and send it together with your CV.

For more information please visit the official website.