SPARC Innovation Digital Economy Policy Consultant

Background:
At Mercy Corps, we aim to be on the cutting edge of developing more efficient, effective paths to social impact at scale. We believe that solutions – to even the most “sticky” problems – are within reach, be that at the community level or the global level. Our years of experience have taught us that often, to break through on a particularly tough challenge, we have to be bold in our thinking and disrupt, we have to innovate, to achieve a lasting and transformative solution. For innovations to advance along a pathway to scale, data, research, and evidence are needed at key stages. Mercy Corps is committed to generating and using evidence to understand and improve our impact, and to enhance the humanitarian and development community’s ability to address the world’s most complex challenges.

Purpose / Project Description:
This consultancy is funded by the Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crisis (SPARC) program. The SPARC Innovation Research Facility (IRF) conducts research on innovation in practice by reviewing new innovative approaches and methods that support pastoralists’ livelihoods and the agricultural sector in the drylands of East and West Africa. The IRF has developed an innovation dashboard with information on examples of innovation in the drylands and conducts targeted research with innovators, including but not limited to AfriScout, Wowzi, SHARED and Agrifin Accelerate.
SPARC’s recent work exploring digital jobs and social media use across parts of the Sahel and the Horn identified marked improvements in the affordability and accessibility of connectivity infrastructure. Kenya emerged as uniquely primed: With 7 in 10 connected, the arid and semi-arid North Eastern region is now second only to the capital in internet access across the country. How might the digital economy, encompassing both ‘lo-tech’/ digital and ‘hi-tech’/ hardware innovations, positively contribute to inclusive pastoral development? SPARC plans to shape an influence agenda based on comparative insights across select innovations in SPARC’s dashboard and mapping of policy intervention opportunities. The Digital Economy Policy Consultant will lead the latter.

Consultant Objectives:
The Consultant will develop a resource comprising a) a synthesis of available data in response to pre-identified evidence gaps and b) a framework for policy intervention, along with key opportunities that might enable the digital economy to scale (wide and deep) in Kenya’s drylands.
The Consultant will work with the SPARC Innovation Research Facility Director, and other SPARC Researchers with expertise on jobtech, gender, and resilience as well as other recommended external experts.

Consultant Activities:

DIGITAL & DATA – SYNTHESIS

• Review reports and blogs on social media and digital jobs for Kenya-specific data points and insights
• Update internal list of relevant policies, programs and influence partners related to data, digital economy, and inclusive pastoral development in Kenya
• Create annotated overview of above list highlighting any existing nexus for digital economy in the drylands: review key digital/data policies for mention and relevance to pastoralist contexts; review key drylands-specific policies/programs for any highlights applicable to digital economy policy intervention
• Based on the insights from above, research any relevant regional policies or global case studies that may inform Kenya’s digital economy policy
• Develop 2 page summary of data/digital and pastoral development policy nexus

POLICY INTERVENTION PATHWAYS

• Select and coordinate outreach with at least 5 policy influencers and relevant experts
• Synthesize and integrate qualitative input from focus groups, key information interviews, and other sources
• Develop a framework for policy interventions to unlock further benefits of the digital economy in the pastoral context in Kenya. Such a framework may draw on Kenya’s Digital Economy Blueprint pillars: digital government; digital business; innovation-driven entrepreneurship; and digital skills and values.
• Provide a foundation of illustrative cases and examples from the region or globally mapped onto this framework — to be developed further in co-design
• Where applicable, integrate key insights into SPARC’s review of hardware and digital innovations as well as inform parallel dissemination outputs

Consultant Deliverables:

• Develop 2-page summary of data/digital synthesis;
• Develop annotated review of data/digital and pastoral development policy nexus;
• Host 1 focus group with at least 3 key external and internal experts;
• Publish 3–6-page brief highlighting policy intervention pathways

Timeframe / Schedule:
Consultant works up to 20 days across August 2024 – March 2025 dependent on funding.

The Consultant will report to:
SPARC Team Lead, Director Evidence & Learning, Resilient Dryland Production Systems

The Consultant will work closely with:
SPARC Innovation Research Advisor, Mercy Corps SPARC Innovation Research Manager, SPARC Communications Team

Qualification & Transferable Skills

• BA/S in international development, public policy or other relevant social science
• At least 8 years of demonstrated experience in qualitative and quantitative research, content development and/or storytelling
• Demonstrated experience working in collaboration with pastoralists, and drylands-based actors, including private sector partners, in participatory research or co-design initiatives
• Experience in research and learning within international development programmes, preferably in the Horn of Africa. Evidence of deep networks in Kenya’s ASAL regions is ideal.
• Experience working remotely with diverse teams
• Demonstrated ability to communicate research findings, verbally, visually, and in writing in English.

Success Factors

• Excellent analytical skills, and ability to communicate complex concepts in clear ways
• Excellent on-line communication skills and experience using multiple communication platforms.
• Superb organizational skills and show initiative to identify and solve problems
• Capable of multitasking, rapid decision-making, and work under time constraints
• Flexibility to adapt to changing conditions and requirements
• Self-motivated and able to work without close supervision

Application Evaluation/Screening Criteria

Click on this LINK to access the evaluation criteria.