The International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) is a research centre that aims to improve tax policy and administration in lower income countries through research and collaborative engagement. ICTD's primary base is the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex in Brighton (UK). ICTD is funded by the British and Norwegian governments and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
ICTD will fund up to four PhD students from countries in Africa and South Asia, starting in September 2023. The students will receive full scholarships, including university fees, a grant in line with UK research council funding (currently 17,668 GBP per year), and other benefits such as funds to attend conferences, to cover visa costs and part of the costs of moving house.
In addition to financial support, successful candidates will benefit from being fully integrated into the ICTD team and networks. As such, they will be expected to play an active role in the life of the Centre, for example by attending team and research meetings, external events, and contributing to blogs or articles in the ICTD publication series. Successful candidates will be based at IDS or in a department at the University of Sussex. At least one of their supervisors will be an ICTD fellow. They will be expected to spend at least their first and third years at IDS/Sussex in person, to facilitate links with ICTD staff and participation in training opportunities.
To be eligible for funding, PhD projects must focus on taxation in African and/or South Asian countries. Within the broad area, applicants can focus on any issue of their own interest. Although projects do not need to fall under one of our existing research programmes, applicants may find it useful to review the research portfolio of the ICTD and its individual Fellows on the ICTD website. The ICTD is a multidisciplinary centre: as such, suitable proposals can take any disciplinary or interdisciplinary approach, including those from economics, political science, anthropology, among others. We expect this scholarship to be very competitive.
Applications will be assessed on the basis of:
- Academic quality of the research proposal. Some of the elements that the reviewers will consider, among others, are: is the topic relevant to policy and research? Is it sufficiently linked to existing knowledge? Are the methods appropriate and robust? Is the proposed study feasible?
- Candidate profiles, including skills and experience. Preference will be given to candidates with relevant work experience. A good result in a master's degree is also essential for admission to the PhD programme at Sussex/IDS.
- Suit the research interests of the supervisors and the ICTD. Availability of supervisors with relevant research interests and knowledge of relevant methods. We will also consider how the projects complement ICTD's research portfolio.
To be considered, both the applicant's nationality and the main focus of the project must be countries in Africa or South Asia, although it is not necessary for projects to have a single country focus.
IDS is committed to eliminating discrimination, and to integrating and supporting equality, diversity and inclusion among our employees, in our work and in all our activities. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of background, beliefs or identity, and particularly encourage applications from groups that are under-represented in IDS.
How to apply
Applications for the ICTD scholarship must be submitted using the dedicated form by 15 March 2023 (deadline 23.59 BST). Applicants are not required to have submitted an application for a PhD place at the University of Sussex before applying for the ICTD scholarship, nor to have identified a potential supervisor. Shortlisted candidates will be encouraged to do so between 31 March and 8 May 2023.
To make it easier for applicants to plan and prepare supporting documents, here is a provisional timeline for the selection process.
- Initial deadline for filling in the ICTD form: 15 March
- Shortlist decisions and comments on proposals: 31 March
- Revised applications across Sussex: 8th May
- Final decisions: 31 May
*If English is not your first language, you will have to fulfil the requirements of English language at the University of Sussex ("Advanced" level grade).
Please apply by 15th March 2023, using the online forme.
