Macro-economic Consultancy At Danish Refugee Council

About the Durable Solutions Platform
The Durable Solutions Platform (DSP) was created in 2016 as a joint initiative of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The objective of DSP is to generate knowledge and promote strategic dialogue and program approaches to the long-term future of displaced Syrians based on international best practices and principles. The platform acts as a convener to stimulate forward thinking and policy development on durable solutions for displaced Syrians.

Background to the consultancy
About the research project
This consultancy aims to contribute to a research project conducted by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Durable Solutions Platform (DSP) and Jordan River Foundation (JRF) titled “Aspirations versus reality: Assessing youth’s pathways towards empowerment and self-reliance in Jordan”, which explores displacement-affected young people’s aspirations for their education and livelihoods pathways and the reality of the choices they are faced with in Jordan today.
Youth are increasingly despondent about the relevance of academic skills or technical expertise when faced with significant barriers to higher education and livelihoods options. Insufficient linkages between education and livelihoods pathways, high costs of tuition and capacity deficits including coordination gaps all serve to restrict their options. Limited job opportunities for graduates and subsequent labour rights restrictions placed on non-Jordanians pose critical challenges for youth’s achievement of self-reliance, while vocational pathways often geared towards youth do not seem to provide a clear pathway to livelihoods and do not adequately meet labour market needs.
The study explores three research questions, namely:

1. What are youth’s own lived experiences and aspirations regarding education and livelihoods options in Jordan? What are their preferences, and the barriers and enablers of meeting those?
2. How can policies and programmes be improved to support youth’s choices over the medium-term, including through strengthening linkages between sectors, supporting national systems and capacities?
3. What are the medium-term trends on the labour market in Jordan, and how can education pathways for displacement-affected youth better support meeting the labour market demands and requirements?
   2
   Research questions
   This consultancy aims to contribute to answering the third research question of the project, namely “What are the medium-term trends on the labour market in Jordan, and how can education pathways for displacement-affected youth better support meeting the labour market demands and requirements?”
   More specifically, this research consultancy will explore and answer the following questions:
    What is the overall macro-economic situation of Jordan in light of the impact of COVID-19?
    What economic sectors show most promise and can potentially create job opportunities for both Jordanian and refugee youth in Jordan? What economic sectors would benefit most from Syrian refugee labour?
    What are the needs and priorities of the private sector (in the identified economic sectors), especially when it comes to new hires?
    Based on the above three questions, what are the medium-term (3-5 year) trends and outlook on the economy in Jordan?
   Methodology
   This study will be based on the following research methods:
    Extensive desk review, led on by the consultants and supplemented by secondary literature provided by DSP;
    Around 10 key informant interviews (KIIs) with economic and policy experts;
    Between 10 – 15 key informant interviews (KIIs) with selected private sector actors.
   Deliverables
   All deliverables are to be approved by DSP:
    Inception report
    KII list of suggested contacts
    KII transcripts (a data-sharing agreement will be signed by the consultants and DSP)
    PPT slides of preliminary analysis
    First draft report
    Second draft report, after round of review
    PPT slides of final analysis and findings

Travel
No travel is anticipated within this consultancy. National Jordanian research entities and individuals who meet the criteria are strongly preferred. Depending on the circumstances, limited in-person meetings may be possible in based in Amman.

Consultant profile
Due to the scope of this research and the available timeframe, a team of consultants is preferred, but individual consultants may also apply.
The consultant(s) should have the following qualifications:
 Postgraduate degree in economics, international development and/or political science
 Minimum 7 years’ proven experience in conducting similar assignments
1 For the purpose of the project, two research reference groups (RRGs) were set up, (1) RRG with practitioners coordinated by DSP, and (2) RRG with youth coordinated by JRF. These groups serve in an advisory capacity.