Research Assistant - Democracy and Inclusion - Sweden

Context

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance - International IDEA - is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide. Its objective is to strengthen democratic institutions and processes. The Institute acts as a catalyst for democracy building by providing global comparative knowledge resources and tools, policy proposals and supporting democratic reforms in response to specific national requests, specifically in electoral processes, constitution building processes, political participation and representation, democracy assessment and analysis, gender and inclusion as well as conflict and security.

International IDEA’s democracy support work takes place in a complex, fast-paced political environment, involving a plethora of different policy actors and influencers as well as democracy assistance providers working in the field of democracy and governance, all of whom compete for declining donor resources. The fulfilment of International IDEA’s mandate to ‘promote sustainable democracy worldwide’ has become more challenging since the optimism of the 1990s.

To effectively fulfil its mandate, International IDEA’s work on gender equality and inclusion is premised on the principle that every person, regardless of sex, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, socio-economic status or other status should have an equal right and opportunity to participate, be represented and contribute to the functioning of democratic processes and institutions-such as electoral processes, constitution building, political participation and representation (political parties, parliaments), the global state of democracy assessments and broadly citizens’ engagement in the public sphere.

International IDEA - as a democracy supporter and a hybrid ‘think and do tank’ - faces the persisting challenge of addressing the weaknesses in democratic processes and institutions that cause exclusion or marginalisation of different segments of the populations both as actors and beneficiaries of democratic development. The 2020 GSoD In Focus highlights that one of the major challenges to democracy is that “in the past four decades, the slowest gains have been made in gender equality, social group equality in access to political power.”

Furthermore, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is underpinned by the central and transformative promise to leave no one behind. Leave no one behind underscores the need for inclusiveness as gender inequalities, and economic and socio-political marginalisation persists. Hence, both Sustainable Development Goal 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal 10: reduce inequality within and among countries as well as the related Target 10.2: to empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status acknowledge that virtually in all the regions of the world, peoples and some segments of societies confront barriers that prevent them from equitable and full participation in socio-economic and political spheres.

The Research Assistant will provide ongoing support to the overall work on Democracy and Inclusion (DI).

Duties and Responsibilities

- Conducts research on relevant and topical global themes and trends on gender equality and inclusion.
- Conducts research on national and international frameworks to gather and analyse provisions on gender equality and inclusion.
- Supports the conceptualisation and prepares drafts for the content development of resources/tools such as the Global Inclusion Portal and the Gender Quotas Database.
- Performs a key role in fact-checking the content of all DI knowledge products.
- Drafts articles and social media posts for outreach and visibility of International IDEA’s initiatives and knowledge products/resources.
- Assists in organising events and communicates with peer/partner organisations;
- Assists with minute taking, notes and drafting of activities/events reports.
- Tracks and reports on the outputs and outcomes of DI initiatives through regular results reports.


General Profile

- Requires good knowledge and initial experience in the field of democracy, gender equality, political analysis and good governance.
- Has experience in using software programmes such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Adds value to team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute as required.
- Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines.
- Acts in accordance with International IDEA’s Core Values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism.
- Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities.


Reporting line

- Senior Adviser, Democracy and Inclusion

Education and Experience

- A University degree in Law, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science or another related subject.
- Minimum of two (2) years experience with research work on topics related to gender and democracy building, preferably within the context of an international organization or NGO working in the field of democracy or human rights.
- Has knowledge of democratization and good governance. Experience in the development and implementation of such projects, preferably within the context of an international organization or NGO working in the field of democracy assistance or advocacy is considered an advantage.
- Good knowledge of basic research methods and comparative research/data collection.
- Good writing and analytical skills, including the ability to use proper editorial standards for written texts.
- Demonstrated knowledge of democracy in comparative research and data collection. Good writing, analytical and teamwork skills.
- Knowledge of at least one region in which International IDEA is active, preferably Africa and West Asia and/or Latin America.
- Field experience in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe or Latin America is advantageous.
- Fluency in English, written and spoken. Any other widely spoken language in an International IDEA priority region (Arabic, French, Spanish) is desirable.


Terms of Contract:

- Local Post.
- Fixed term appointment for one (1) year.
- Remuneration - SEK 24 331 per month


Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to the r...