Monash University

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

Job No: 549674
Faculty/Portfolio:
Faculty of Business and Economics
Department of Economics
Location: Caulfield campus
Employment Type: Full-time
Duration: 2 year fixed-term appointment
Remuneration:
$86,209 - $92,541 pa Level A PhD
(includes 9.5% employer superannuation)

If you're after a rewarding career, Monash University can help make it happen. With leading academics and world-class resources, combined with a ranking in the top 100 universities worldwide, we offer all you need to build a brighter future.

The Opportunity

The Department of Economics is seeking a Research Fellow to contribute towards a 5 year research project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), "Improving Food Security in the Northern Uplands of Lao PDR". The Project is driven by one policy issue: the apparent lack of relation between economic growth and food security. Despite strong economic growth and reductions in poverty rates during the last decade, the prevalence of food insecurity in Lao PDR remains largely unchanged: 22% of the population was deemed food insecure in 2007/08, down 1% from 2002/03. Food insecurity is especially prevalent in the Uplands and in the North of the country.

The drivers of food insecurity are largely unknown. Also unknown is how current policy priorities to promote commercial agriculture will affect (in positive or negative ways) the traditional food security strategies adopted by smallholders. As a result of these gaps in knowledge, it is difficult to define interventions that "work", that is, that link economic development with improvements in food security.

The objective of this Research Fellow is to assist in all aspects of a rigorous evaluation of the impact of the pilot intervention(s): definition, implementation and evaluation.

The Research Fellow will contribute, together with the appropriate Lao and Australian team members, under the supervision of the Project Leader, to the selection of cost-effective pilot interventions intended to alleviate the food security constraints identified by the project. All aspects of this work will be subordinated and follow the approach proposed and accepted by ACIAR.

Your application must address the selection criteria. Please refer to "How to apply for Monash jobs"

Enquiries

Ms Niki Calastas, Department Manager, Department of Economics, +61 3 9905 2480