concept note assignment instructions the competition the german govern
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Concept note assignment instructions
The competition: The German government has launched a competition for a new diaspora
engagement project. They are interested in harnessing the development potential of
migration from a given diaspora. The German government is willing to provide financial
assistance to fund the winning project and their budget is flexible.
Organizations are asked to submit a proposal (a.k.a. concept note) that is maximum 5,000
words in total. These proposals can focus on one of two goals: (1) Programs to increase the
volume of remittances being sent and/or make these remittances more beneficial for the
development of the origin country or (2) Programs to increase skills transfers from the
diaspora in Germany back to the origin country. Remember: You have to sell your idea as best
as you can.
Who you are: You are an International Organization or an International Non-Governmental
Organization. International actors like you are called in as “implementing partners” for
development projects. You propose an idea to a donor (in this case the German government).
If the donor agrees to fund your project, you can implement it. For this assignment, I am not
interested in which organization you are. I only care about your idea.
Submission occurs in two stages:
Week 24: Idea and literature review (3,000 words words maximum)
• Section 1 and 2
Week 28: Full concept note (5,000 words maximum)
• Full concept note with all sections (1,2,3 & 4)
•
Incorporate feedback for sections 1 and 2
You work in same groups throughout.
Materials:
Core (see below for more details)
Rannveig Agunias, Dovelyn and Newland Kathleen. "Developing a Road Map for Engaging
Diasporas in Development: A Handbook for Policymakers and Practitioners in Home and
Host Countries." (2013). E-book
• Relevant chapters: 1, 6 and/or 8
Additional materials Plaza, Sonia, and Dilip Ratha, eds. Diaspora for development in Africa. World Bank
Publications, 2011.
Ratha, Dilip. Leveraging migration and remittances for development. UN Chronicle, Volume
50, Issue 3, Oct 2013, p. 26 – 29 (https://www.un-
ilibrary.org/content/journals/15643913/50/3/7)
Euro-African Dialogue on Migration and Development (2020). Collection of Diaspora
Engagement Practices. https://www.rabat-
process.org/en/activities/publications/publication-collection-diaspora-engagement-
practices
Mueller, Charlotte, Katharina Koch, and Nora Jasmin Ragab. "Mapping the Ecuadorian
diaspora in Germany." (2018). Maastricht Graduate School of Governance Report.
Outline of full concept note
NB! Remember that Sections 1 and 2 are submitted in Week 24. Sections 3 and 4 will be added in
for Week 28, and all revised with feedback. In Week 28, you will submit the full concept note.
Section 1: Introduction
This is a rough idea of some elements you could include:
•
What area will you be focusing on?
What problem are you trying to solve with this program?
• What outcomes are you hoping to achieve with this program?
• How will your program help you achieve these outcomes?
• Why is this project likely to be successful?
Section 2: Review of programs
Describe similar programs in other countries (Consider only the policy area that you are
focusing on). The aim of this review is to (1) show there is a precedent (2) that these types
of programs are relatively successful (3) that there is still room for improvement (your
project will then speak to these goals)
.
Broad overview programs related to your goal
•
Why are these types of programs promising?
• What are the challenges? Highlight areas that *you* will be tackling with your own
project.
References:
•
A broad overview with examples can be found in Rannveig Agunias and Newland
(2013), Chapter 6 or Chapter 8, depending on your goal.
You will also need to look at case studies for these types of projects in order to get
an in-depth view. Section 3: Analysis of chosen diaspora in Germany (second submission only)
Look at, for example, Mueller, Koch and Ragab (2018), describe features of the
diaspora that you might be able to leverage or that might pose challenges to your
project idea (e.g. demographics, existing organizations) and explain your reasoning.
Rannveig Agunias and Newland (2013), Chapter 1, gives you an overview of how to
carry out a successful diaspora engagement project, and you will have identified
several points for your review in Section 2. All this information should guide you in
interpreting Mueller, Koch and Ragab (2018) for your purposes.
Section 4: Detail your plan (second submission only)
Describe your plan step by step following the outline described in Rannveig Agunias and
Newland (2013), Chapter 1.
References
There is no expected number of references, but must be more than core references. I will be
grading based on depth of understanding, so use as many as you need. You can use any
referencing style as long as it is applied consistently.