Research on the Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change

Deadline: 18 February 2018

The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) is a research network at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), which provides support to South Asian researchers and institutions interested in the connections between development, natural resource use, and the environment.  SANDEE is currently inviting research concept notes on the Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change in South Asia. Selected concept notes will lead to an invitation to submit full research proposals that will be further reviewed for funding consideration.

SANDEE requests research concept notes in any area of environmental or resource economics with implications for the development of South Asia. We encourage research on issues of interest to national, provincial, and local- level policymakers in South Asian countries. Concept notes that demonstrate a clear demand from policymakers for their underlying research are of particular interest, though any concept note within the scope of SANDEE for research of scientific merit will be considered. For example, we will consider proposals that discuss the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that each country has submitted to the UNFCCC under the Paris Agreement.

Some examples of research previously supported by SANDEE include:

• a country-wide assessment of how well renewable energy subsidies target the poor in Nepal and a case study of incentives for recycling lead acid batteries under India’s Deposit-Refund Scheme,
• an analysis of possible payments to farmers for ecosystem services in Bhutan and an examination of biodiversity and economic indicators under different forest management strategies in Bangladesh,
• an evaluation of a REDD+ pilot programme in Nepal on carbon sequestration and socio-economic changes, and of a livelihood intervention programme in India on farmers’ adaptive capacity

While SANDEE focuses on environmental management, proposals must include a strong economics component. Proposals related to action research and intending to produce consulting-type report will not be considered. Concept notes are evaluated on their academic merit and policy significance. Multi-disciplinary projects, crossborder collaborations and trans-boundary topics will be prioritized. Institutional affiliation is required for receiving a research grant.

Grants are likely to be in the range of USD 20,000-30,000 over a two-year period. Larger grants are more likely if teams are multidisciplinary, involve two or more countries in the region or focus on a transboundary issue.

Please review the guidelines and upload concept notes on SANDEE’s website at www.sandeeonline.org by 18 February 2018 to be considered for the summer 2018 grant cycle. Selected proposals will be invited to the Research and Training Workshop to be held in June for defense.

For any additional queries, please contact us at research@sandeeonline.org.

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