Project Title: Empowering Youth for Evidence-Based Policy-Making

Donor:  DAI Global, LLC / USAID National Governance Program 

Project Contract Number: 1005207-101

Total Budget: 215,922 GEL 

Duration of the project: February 23, 2024 - February 22, 2025

Project Summary 

Given the scarcity of high-quality research and policy documents concerning a range of governance reforms, the project aims to empower youth, students, and young professionals to become active contributors to the policymaking process through capacity building, sharing practical experience/best practices, and providing them a wide-range of opportunities to prepare and communicate evidence-based analyses and recommendations. This overall objective will be attained by:  

• increasing theoretical and practical knowledge and experience of students and young professionals in the field of good governance, including corruption; 

• fostering the availability of evidence-based policy analyses produced by young professionals through mentorships and capacity building; 

• encouraging government oversight activities and evidence-based discussions on crucial governance reforms with the participation of all relevant stakeholders.

Under the project, IDFI will expand the existing four academic modules/courses on a wide range of corruption and good governance issues integrated into the academic program of the Ilia State University. This expansion will provide additional opportunities (workshops, trainings, mentorships, Summer School on various governance issues, research methods, data analysis, data visualization, etc.) for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as the existing alumni network of these courses, students from other Universities, young professionals, and civil servants to further enhance their analytical skills. They will also be able to produce evidence-based policy papers and recommendations on various public policy issues through contests, scholarships, and mentorships, and to communicate them with all relevant stakeholders through social media campaigns and targeted outreach methods/activities.

National governance stakeholders will receive evidence-based analytical and policy papers produced by young professionals on a diverse set of governance issues. These papers can serve as valuable external analyses and assessments of ongoing reforms, highlighting significant achievements, identifying shortcomings, and offering specific policy recommendations to address observed gaps. In addition, the project will offer discussion and exchange opportunities between young professionals and other stakeholders on particular governance reforms. 

Project activities include:

1. Coordination of courses of the Spring 2024 semester and admission/coordination of new students for the Fall 2024 semester and the provision of additional opportunities (I-XII months)

2. Update the existing anti-corruption portal (I-V months)

3. Contest of evidence-based analytical/policy papers (IV-X months)

4. Around 6 lectures / workshops in cooperation with partner Universities to encourage students to participate in the contest (IV-X months)

5. Online training sessions, as well as one-on-one mentorships on research methods, data collection, data analysis, data visualization, policy analysis, and policy documents design (IV-X month).

6. Presentation held in the format of public-private dialogue (X-XI month)

7. Paid internships/scholarships at IDFI or leading think-tanks for selected students/young professionals

8. Outreach activities (VIII-XII months)

9. Winter School on Good Governance (XI-XII month)

Contract