DNPPF has traversed through a 10-year journey and has carved a path for Nepali youth to actively engage and synergize with the Government of Nepal. The fellowship gives participating candidates a unique chance to collaborate with public partners from different government agencies and parliamentarians to conduct policy research. This collaborative initiative has become an action-platform for Nepali students and young professionals, both inside and outside the country. Since 2013, we have supported 170 young Nepali professionals who have trained in 31 countries to collaborate with 74 government organizations and 25 parliamentarians to conduct policy research.
With a key motive of “My Government, My Responsibility,” the Government of Nepal and Daayitwa have been partnering to identify and apply innovative policy ideas to promote economic growth and strengthen the governance system in Nepal. This collaborative initiative has become an action-platform for Nepali students and young professionals, both inside and outside the country. In addition to the immense learning through a rare and close-up engagement with the public partners, the fellows also partake in a leadership course provided by Dr. Pukar Malla, former Senior Fellow at Harvard Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University, and research training sessions provided by Dr. Charity Troyer Moore, Director for South Asian Economics Research at the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University. The fellows will also receive a public administration course along with mentorship provided by researchers at the Governance Lab.
Mission
The mission of Daayitwa Nepal Public Policy Fellowship is to ignite self-responsibility for public service in Nepali youth by nurturing their collaborative leadership towards an enterprising Nepal. It has three major goals:
- Support the government and political representatives in addressing critical needs of priority projects.
- Strengthen innovation and leadership capacity of youth through engagement in government projects.
- Build a collaborative community of young policy entrepreneurs, action-oriented policy-makers and policy experts in promoting innovation in the governance system.
Fellowship Duration
The fellowship duration for most fellows will be of three months beginning from June 5, 2023 to September 5, 2023. The fellowship engagement for the two fellows placed with Hon. Binod Chaudhary will be of six months beginning from June 5, 2023 to December 5, 2023.
Public Partners and Placement Choices for 2023 Fellowship
Applicants need to select their top 3 placement choices for the fellowship program based on their interests and background.
Research Topics for DNPPF 2023
- Hon. Bidhya Bhattarai - Strengthening Tourism Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Kaski-2
- Hon. Gagan Thapa - Strengthening Municipal Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Lumbini Province
- Hon. Shisir Khanal - Bridging Education-Employment Gap Through Curriculum Innovation in Higher Education
- Hon. Sumana Shrestha - Analyzing Governance, Technology and Development Policies
- MoALD - Exploring Alternate Distribution Channels to Overcome Frequent Fertilizer Shortage in Nepal
- MoALD - Promoting Mandi System to Strengthen Market Access for Farmers
- MoCIT - Investigating the Balance between Service Affordability and Quality of Access for Internet Consumers in Nepal
- MoCIT - Harmonizing Policies for Employment Generation in the Information and Communications Technology Industry
- MoF - Incentivizing Migrant Workers to Send Remittance through Formal Channels
- MoICS - Improving Value Chain Through Incentives for Private Sectors to Process Agricultural Products in Nepal
- NPC - Mobilizing Skills and Remittance of Migrant Returnees to Improve Agricultural Productivity in Nepal
- NRB - Assessing Nepal's Macroeconomy in a Post-Covid World
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS DAAYITWA NEPAL PUBLIC POLICY FELLOWSHIP?
The Daayitwa Nepal Public Policy Fellowship is a program where young professionals collaborate with the government to conduct policy research and promote evidence-based policy decisions. The fellowship program competitively selects and places young professionals and students in public agencies for 3 months, builds their technical and adaptive capacities, and enables them to provide research support to their public partners.
WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED TO BE A DAAYITWA NEPAL PUBLIC POLICY FELLOW?
The applicants are expected to have completed a bachelor's degree in public policy, international relations, economics, business or a related field with high academic achievement (accredited university, GPA, coursework rigor). Applicants must have research experience, preferably in the field of public policy analysis or implementation. Masters' or PhD candidates are preferred. The fellowship is open to Nepali citizens and Non-resident Nepali (NRN) only.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM?
In addition to the immense learning through a rare and close-up engagement with public partners, the fellows will receive a monthly stipend of NPR 25,000 to support them during the program. The fellows also partake in a leadership course provided by Dr. Pukar Malla, former Harvard Senior Fellow, and research training sessions provided by experts (in 2022, Dr. Charity Troyer Moore, Yale University). The fellows will also receive courses on public administration (in 2022, Dr. Pramod KC, Thamassat University), analytical skills and project management (in 2022, Dr. Juni Singh, California Institute of Technology) along with mentorship provided by experts from respective fields.
WHAT IS THE LOCATION AND DURATION OF THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM?
The fellowship program is a full time commitment that will take place from June 5, 2023 to September 5, 2023. The fellows are expected to be available in Nepal during the entirety of the program. The fellowship duration for most fellows will be of three months beginning from June 5, 2023 to September 5, 2023.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE APPLICATION?
The applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The shortlisted applicants will move onto the interview round. The interviews are conducted in-person or via Skype/phone call. The selection process usually involves 2-3 rounds of interviews. This is the stage where the shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and qualifications, and demonstrate their suitability for the fellowship program.
