Economic Governance Expert at SoCha

Responsibilities

• Hold a kickoff, exploratory conversation with the USAID team to develop a better understanding of knowns and unknowns, refine research questions, propose methodological approaches, and discuss overall timeline, outputs, deliverables, and expectations.
• Develop and share an inception report including an understanding of the assignment, research work plan, methodological approach, and outline.
• Conduct a review of published research and grey literature.
• Develop an understanding of the criteria in place that provide guidance to the wider agency, to include laws, executive orders, regulations, policies, and all levels of anti-corruption strategies.
• Assess agency-wide anti-corruption initiatives for lessons that can be derived and incorporated. Identity lessons and best practices from the Agency’s global initiatives, such as the Anticorruption Task Force, including specific lessons about known bad actors in direct USAID past experience.
• Develop an understanding of the way in which corruption, and anti-corruption, have evolved over time in Kenya.
• Examine measures that have been attempted and implemented to mitigate corruption in Kenya and assess the success, or the lack thereof, of these efforts over time, and specifically, identify what has worked and what has failed.
• Conduct key informant interviews with Kenyan stakeholders, USAID staff, implementing partners, and other experts and development actors.
• Develop a map or matrix of key institutional stakeholders and key actors.
• Develop an understanding of the interests of key actors and groups.
• Develop recommendations for ways in which USAID may more effectively target its resources and programs for positive anti-corruption results.
• Develop recommendations for what practices should be continued and replicated due to past or current success.
• Share early findings and information on these topics with USAID and select partners during an activity co-creation event.
• Prepare a sequence of drafts answering part or all of the agreed-upon research questions.
• Prepare the first full complete draft of the paper.
• Revise drafts based on USAID feedback and compose a final foundational Anticorruption concept note for USAID/KEA.

Deliverables:

• Inception report including an understanding of the assignment, research work plan, methodological approach, and outline
• Anti-corruption stakeholder map of key institutional actors
• First drafts of each chapter as outlined in the inception report
• Full first draft foundation concept note on anti-corruption in Kenya
• Final revised foundation concept note on anti-corruption in Kenya

Reporting:

• The Economic Governance Expert STTA will report to MSP Strategy and Programs Advisor.

Qualifications:

• Experienced economic governance expert with understanding of political economy dynamics related to anti-corruption in Kenya
• Independent researcher with the ability to uncover and present new ideas
• Understanding of both internal control and law enforcement aspects of corruption
• Ability to engage and gather information from key informants and stakeholders
• Experience working with a key stakeholder institution in the anti-corruption space in Kenya preferred
• Excellent English writing and analytical skills
• Master’s degree or Ph.D. preferred
• At least 10 years of experience working in Kenya