Call for Applications for Session 2023–24: Advanced Certificate Programme on Research in Political Economy Applications to be accepted until June 20, 2023, 23.59 UTC

Introduction

This Advanced Certificate Programme, started by IDEAs in 2022, aims to train postgraduate students for research in political economy. It exposes students to frontier areas of research in political economy, to heterodox approaches in development research, and to research methods. The programme is useful for students preparing for their PhDs, students who are already enrolled in PhD programmes, undergraduate-level teachers of economics, and those who plan to start working after their post-graduation as research analysts, journalists or in other positions requiring them to undertake research.

This is an independent certificate programme and is not affiliated with any university.

The programme is conducted in a hybrid mode. In-person classes are held in New Delhi, and all Indian students are required to attend classes in person. Students from other countries participate online. IDEAs is also exploring the possibilities of organising in-person classes at a few other selected locations in future.
It is a full-time programme and may involve up to 12 hours of classes per week. The classes are usually held between 08.30 am and 1.30 pm UTC, and are scheduled keeping in mind the convenience of most students and resource persons. There is usually limited flexibility in scheduling of classes and may not be at convenient times for participants from all parts of the globe.

Students are required to spend a considerable amount of time on readings, take-home assignments and research. In 2023-24 IDEAs is planning to organise a series of international workshops to provide opportunities to students – including those who attend regular classes online – to benefit from in-person teaching and collective learning. A number of additional activities – special lectures, workshops and field surveys – are organised over the course of study to complement regular classes. Students are also expected to participate in other activities of IDEAs.

Applicants who have full-time employment or are in advanced stages of their PhD should consider whether they will be able to commit time demanded for this programme.

The faculty of the programme includes a large number of internationally renowned heterodox economists associated with IDEAs. Teachers based in India deliver lectures in-person in New Delhi. Teachers from other countries usually teach online but may travel to workshop locations for in-person classes.

Programme Advisory Committee

• Ahilan Kadirgamar (Senior Lecturer, University of Jaffna)
• Alicia Puyana (Professor, FLACSO, Mexico)
• C P Chandrasekhar (Economist, New Delhi)
• Charles Abugre (Executive Director, IDEAs)
• Dzodzi Tsikata (Professor, University of Ghana)
• Fiona Trgenna (Professor, University of Johannesburg)
• Issa Shivji (Emeritus Professor, University of Dar es Salaam)
• Jayati Ghosh (Professor, University of Massachusetts)
• Jesim Pais (Director, Society for Social and Economic Research, New Delhi)
• Jomo Kwame Sundaram (former Assistant Secretary General, UN-DESA and former Assistant Director General, FAO)
• Martin Abeles (Director of the ECLAC Office in Buenos Aires, UN ECLAC)
• Prabhat Patnaik (Emeritus Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University)
• Raja Khalidi (Director, Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute)
• Vikas Rawal (Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University)

Course Structure

The 2023-24 session of the programme will start in the first week of August, 2023 and will run for 10 months. It is expected that Indian students will reside in Delhi/NCR region during this period.

The programme is structured in three modules. English will be the medium of instruction for the programme.

Term I: Foundation Course (16 weeks)

This module will include three compulsory courses:

1. Macroeconomic theory with a focus on heterodox approaches (36 teaching hours)
2. Problems of underdevelopment in contemporary world (36 teaching hours)
3. Research methodology – I (36 teaching hours)

Term II: Field Survey (4 weeks)

This module will comprise one week of intense training on survey design and sampling methodologies, two weeks of a field survey, and one week of data entry and presentations. In India, the survey will be organised as a group activity. Students who are enrolled for online participation in the programme will carry out fieldwork individually and at their own cost.

Term III: Optional Tracks (16 weeks)

In this module, a number (about 9) of optional courses (24 teaching hours each) will be offered and students will be required to choose any three. Multiple courses will run concurrently, and over different weeks during the term.

Depending upon availability of teachers and interest of students, courses will be offered from the following list.

1. Political Economy of Development
2. Theories of Value and Distribution
3. International Trade
4. The Evolution of Global Finance
5. Money and Banking
6. Agrarian Development
7. Industrialisation
8. Labour, Development and Informal Economy
9. Class, Gender and Social Stratification
10. State and Politics
11. Themes in Measurement of Poverty and Inequality
12. Education, Health and Social Security
13. Feminist Economics
14. Accumulation, Resource Extraction and Dispossession
15. Environment, Sustainability and Climate

In addition, all students will be required to attend the Research Methodology–II course (24 teaching hours) as part of this module.

International Workshops

IDEAs is planning to organise a series of international workshops during the session to provide opportunities to students – including those who attend regular classes online – to benefit from in-person teaching. Students will be selected for in-person participation in these workshops based on their performance in the programme and research interests. The cost of in-person participation for selected students will be borne by IDEAs. Other students will be required to participate in the workshops online.

Eligibility

Applicants should have completed post graduation in economics. Candidates who have completed post-graduation in other social science disciplines, but are keen to enrol for a course in political economy, are also welcome to apply. The course is intense and involves several hours of classes and reading per week. Candidates who are in full time jobs or in an advanced stage of their doctoral research should only apply if they are sure they can give so much time.

Course Fees

Fees: INR 40000 (+18% GST) for Indian students/USD 500 for students from other countries

Fee waiver: Partial or full fee waiver can be provided to students facing financial constraints. Such students may be asked to pay a security deposit that will be refunded at the end of the course.

IDEAs will not provide any boarding or lodging facilities for students attending in-person classes.

Admission

Application (Last date: June 20, 2023)

Apply online at:https://forms.gle/56TvVm8mb2AMvhHe9

In your application, you would need to include:

1. Statements of grades/Marksheets of your under-graduate and postgraduate degrees
2. A statement of purpose explaining your academic background, your academic interests and why you want to enrol for this course.
3. One letter of recommendation from a teacher, supervisor or anyone else you have professionally worked with. The LoRs of candidates who are in full-time jobs or are enrolled in full-time PhD programmes should be from their employer/supervisor, and should include an affirmation that, in the event of their selection, they would be able to devote necessary time to this programme.
4. If applying for a fee waiver, a note explaining why you need a fee waiver, and the extent (full or partial) fee waiver you need. It would be a good idea to include supporting documents to substantiate your case for a fee waiver.

Selection

• An admissions committee constituted by IDEAs will review the applications and shortlist candidates for an online interview.
• Interviews will be held online between June 24 and July 4, 2023.
• Selected candidates will be sent an offer of admission by July 10, 2023.
• The decision of the admissions committee will be final.

Confirmation of admission

• Selected candidates will be required to confirm their acceptance of the offer of admission by email by July 15, 2023.
• The process of admission will be completed upon payment of programme fees. Selected candidates who have accepted the offer will be required to pay the entire course fee at the time of admission. Those offered a fee waiver will be informed of the extent of fee waiver and are expected to deposit either a reduced fee or a security deposit as the case may be.
• The admission process will close on July 15, 2023.

Contact

For any queries, email course.coordinator@networkideas.org