The United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) recently launched an open consultation on reproductive, maternal and newborn health to inform their future work in this area. They are seeking input from people in the UK and around the world—from mothers to midwives to the general public—to help them understand different viewpoints, how the issues might vary between countries and how DFID could work better with partners. Visit their website for more information and to participate. 

The Fertility and Empowerment Network is soliciting papers that explore the impact of fertility declines on women’s empowerment and gender relations in countries that have experienced significant fertility declines within the past three decades. Read the full call for abstracts (PDF: 45KB) 

The UN Foundation has posted its 2010 request for proposals for the initiative on Strengthening U.S. Leadership on International Reproductive Health and Family Planning. This initiative seeks to support the goals set forth by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by re-engaging the U.S. and motivating the broader international community to expand its efforts to reach the MDG 5 target of universal access to reproductive health. The initiative aims for the U.S. to be a leading global voice and funder, supporting women and couples worldwide in deciding the number, spacing and timing of their children, and in helping them to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. By improving access to voluntary IRH/FP, families are better able to provide for their children—increasing access to basic resources such as food, health care, and primary education. More specifically, this initiative aims to strengthen U.S. engagement, both bilaterally and multilaterally, in ways that are sustainable.
 
 

The Population and Reproductive Health Program at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation is hiring a program officer to lead grantmaking in the South Asia subprogram. More information on guidelines and how to apply can be found here (PDF). 

The Research Council of Norway is calling for proposals from Norwegian institutions for its ECONPOP program. ECONPOP was launched in cooperation with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and aims to understand how population dynamics and reproductive health outcomes may impact  economic growth and poverty reduction, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. More information on guidelines and how to apply can be found here. 

Helena Choi, Population Program Officer at the Hewlett Foundation, answers questions about the relationship between population and poverty, the PopPov Research Network, and how research can improve policy.  

The Cornell Population Program (CPP) invites applicants for the newly funded Frank H.T. Rhodes Post-doctoral Fellowships. The start date for the position will be August 16, 2010, and it will be funded for 2 years, subject to a satisfactory first year evaluation. Selection will be based on scholarly potential, ability to work in multi-disciplinary settings, and the support of a faculty mentor and CPP affiliate at Cornell who will work closely with the post-doctoral associate. Preference will be given to fellows with research interests in areas broadly related to the CPP’s three main foci: families & children, health behaviors & disparities, or poverty/inequality. Especially encouraged are applications from candidates whose research has significance for those countries on which the fellowship’s funder focuses—the United States, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Vietnam, South Africa, and Bermuda.
 
The Frank H. T. Rhodes Fellowships stand as a testament to the profound difference Frank Rhodes has made at Cornell by furthering scholarship and research in areas related to poverty alleviation, support for the elderly and disadvantaged children and youth, public health, and human rights. The postdoctoral program is designed to provide an intense apprenticeship through collaborations with faculty and to assist new scholars in launching their own programs of research. Postdoctoral associates devote most of their time to independent research, but are expected to be involved in CPP institution building activities, as well. See http://cpp.cornell.edu/ for more information about the Cornell Population Program.
 
The postdoctoral associate will have access to the full range of university resources and receive an annual salary of $50,000 plus benefits and a modest research/travel account.  Applicants must have a Ph.D. in demography, economics, sociology, or another related social science discipline by August 16, 2010. Screening of applications begins February 10, 2010, and will continue until the position is filled.
 
Applications must include: (a) letter of application, (b) curriculum vita, (c) a 2-3 page statement proposing both an individual research project and how the candidate will engage with a CPP faculty affiliate’s on-going research, (d) examples of written work, (e) a letter from a CPP faculty affiliate agreeing to mentor the candidate, and (d) three letters of recommendation. These materials must be submitted online at www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs.  Once you reach this web site, please click on Faculty and Non-Faculty Instruction, Research & Extension Positions and search by Job Number 12108.  For questions, please contact Erin Oates at eo73@cornell.edu.
 
Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer. 

Rebecca Thornton, Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Michigan, and Scott McNiven, a Hewlett Population, Reproductive Health and Economic Development Fellow and PhD Candidate at the University of California at Davis, recently won 3IE awards.
 

Rachel Nugent, Deputy Director for Global Health at the Center for Global Development and Director of the PopPov Research Network, discusses PopPov and the recent conference in Cape Town on CGD’s Global Prosperity Wonkcast. Click here to listen. 

Through the sponsorship of the Hewlett Foundation and the administrative support of the International Health Economics Association, an Electronic Working Paper series is now being created to provide broader intellectual discourse on the topic of population, reproductive health, and economic development. The E-WP can become a useful means of disseminating finished research or work in progress to colleagues within the network and throughout the SSRN community. A board of editors is being established, with Dr. Shareen Joshi as the executive editor. The E-WP series will soon be soliciting contributions of papers from the PopPov community and beyond. We welcome suggestions about how it can be useful to you. 

ICRW is offering a post-doctoral fellowship for a social scientist with gender and population expertise at its Washington, D.C. office. Visit their website for more information.