Dr Eleni Yitbarek, a senior lecturer in the Department of Economics in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, has been awarded the 2023 Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) Research Fellowship. The research and work undertaken by PEP through its programmes and thematic areas seeks to promote Southern-driven development where policy decisions are informed by high-quality, locally-generated evidence.

Dr Yitbarek is among eight new fellows who join a group of 20 existing PEP research fellows with extensive experience in the four methodologies applied in PEP research and in a wide variety of thematic areas. The fellows, who are all from developing countries, are senior researchers in their fields who were selected on a competitive basis to contribute to key PEP research, training and policy activities.

The fellows will play a critical role in combatting the marginalisation of local researchers in scientific and policy discussions around their countries' economic development through their research and contribution to policy discourse. Dr Yitbarek, whose research interests are in the measurement of poverty, intergenerational mobility, applied econometrics, and impact evaluation, will hold the fellowship for three years.

As a fellow, she will contribute to the dissemination and visibility of PEP through various channels, such as national and international conferences, blogs, newsletters, policy briefs, Twitter/Facebook threads, and more. The new PEP fellows were selected based on their potential to positively impact PEP's reputation and enhance its visibility, as well as their ability to contribute to PEP's programme initiatives.

Dr Yitbarek looks forward to the networking opportunities the fellowship will provide her, which will enable her to collaborate with other fellows and advocate for crucial development concerns that have been overlooked in developing nations. “I will have the chance to work with other researchers who share my research interests. Establishing connections, acquiring funding, and helping to develop the skills of junior researchers in developing nations are other opportunities available to me,” she says.

An excited Yitbarek adds that she is eager to establish connections within the African policy sphere.  Talking about being awarded the fellowship, she says: “I am deeply honoured to be selected as a PEP fellow. This fellowship acknowledges the hard work and commitment I have put into my field, and I am excited for the chance to continue learning and expanding my knowledge.”