Public Financial Management Research Program for Graduate Students: Invitation for Expression of Interest

Public Financial Management Research Program for Graduate Students:

Invitation for Expression of Interest

The Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA)’s PFM Research Program for graduate students invites interested students to make expression of interest to work on an innovative research project in the field of Public Financial Management (PFM).

The selected proposals (between 5-10) will receive support of US$3000 each, subject to successful completion of accepted research work. This aims to encourage and support research that contributes to the understanding and improvement of PFM practices, which are essential for effective governance and economic development.

The template for submission of proposals can be downloaded (in Word document format) at the bottom of this page.

Eligibility Criteria:

The applicant must be a current graduate student.
Willingness to use PEFA Data.
Letter from a Faculty Advisor/Mentor of the researcher committing to guide the student and provide quality assurance before manuscript is submitted to the PEFA Secretariat.
Research can be in any of the three official PEFA languages (English, French or Spanish).

Research Topics:

The research proposal must focus on topics related to Public Financial Management (PFM):
Suggested PFM areas include budget preparation and execution, macro-fiscal issues including forecasting, public investment management, fiscal decentralization, public expenditure management, revenue administration, cash management, public debt management, revenue policy, public sector accounting and reporting (including IPSAS), public procurement, control of corruption, internal audit, fiscal transparency, supreme audit institutions, legislative oversight, climate change, gender and their interplay with PFM systems, and other aspects of financial accountability.

Research Outcome:

Research must address a knowledge gap, contribute to strengthening PFM systems at national and/or local levels, and demonstrate potential for impact.

The output of the research must be a publishable quality manuscript to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Application Requirements:

Interested students are invited to submit the following documents:

Research Proposal: A detailed proposal outlining the research objectives, hypothesis, methodology, expected outcomes, and timeline using the Word document template downloadable below.
Curriculum Vitae (CV): A current CV of the applicant.
Letter from a Faculty Advisor/Mentor of the researcher committing to guide the student and provide quality assurance before the manuscript is submitted to PEFA Secretariat.

Submission Guidelines:

All applications must be submitted by email to services@pefa.org
The subject line of the email should read: "PFM Research Proposal”- “Name of applicant”
The deadline for submission is April 24, 2025
Any requests for clarifications can be emailed to services@pefa.org before March 31,2025. PEFA Secretariat will post a standardized responses list to commonly asked questions by 11 April 2025 in www.pefa.org. This list of answers to commonly asked questions is now available at this link and also at the bottom section of this page.

Selection Process:

Proposals will be evaluated by PEFA research committee (European Commission, IMF, World Bank, and SECO) based on the following criteria:

Relevance to PEFA program objectives and alignment with PFM.
Clarity and feasibility of the research methodology.
Potential impact and contribution to the field of PFM (e.g., contribution to PFM, enhancing to PFM capacity, informing evidence-based decision-making).
Additionality to existing research.

Committee may seek clarification on proposals, if needed. The initial selection by the PEFA Research Committee is further subject to administrative and contractual processes in the World Bank. Till the time of a formal contract to the selected candidate is issued, the selection is not final.

Payment Terms:

The selected proposal will receive $3000 to support the research project. $1000 will be paid upon acceptance of detailed annotated outline with relevant literature review for the study, and the balance of $2000 will be paid after final manuscript is accepted after internal university quality assurance is completed.

Timeline:

Submission of questions, if any from potential applicants	31 March 2025
Publication of answers by PEFA Secretariat	11 April 2025
Submission of proposals by potential applicants	24 April 2025
Contractual process	May 2025
Submission of Detailed Annotated Outline	31 August 2025
Submission of final draft Report	30 November 2025

Output:

The researcher will be required to submit a final manuscript (maximum 30 pages).
Selected researchers with standout contributions will be invited to present their research findings at PEFA events.

Answers to commonly asked questions regarding applications for the Public Financial Management Research Program for Graduate Students (2025):

Questions	Answers
Can someone who is not a graduate student, but a PFM experienced person and PEFA Assessor apply?	No, this program is only for current graduate students (Ph.D. or Masters) only.
Can the student use same topic or part of the topic used for research during the course?	Yes, applicants can use the same topic and part of the research work that they are currently doing for their Ph.D. if it aligns with the suggested PFM areas, addresses a knowledge gap, contributes to strengthening PFM systems, and demonstrates potential for impact.
Can a current student who will soon complete graduation requirements still apply?	Yes, please ensure that the applicants’ research guide / supervisor confirms in the letter that quality assurance will be conducted by them even after graduation (if the final report is presented after graduation).
Is it permissible for the research proposal to incorporate other data sources, or must it rely exclusively on PEFA data?	Yes, use of other data sources is encouraged in addition to use of PEFA data (https://www.pefa.org/assessments/batch-downloads). We encourage studies where PEFA scores and/or their variations serve as the dependent (outcome) variable. The selection of independent (explanatory) variables is open but must be justified by relevant literature.
Does the final paper need to be published immediately, or can I continue developing the work after submitting the final draft report?	The output of the research must be a publishable quality manuscript to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. There will be flexibility regarding timing of publication. Research scholar can continue developing the work after submitting the final draft report, as long as the final manuscript meets the quality standards and is accepted after internal university quality assurance is completed.
Can a student who completes Masters / PhD in 2026 or later apply?	Yes, any current Graduate Student can apply.
What are the timelines for the program?	• Submission of questions from potential applicants: March 31, 2025. • Publication of answers by PEFA Secretariat: April 11, 2025. • Submission of proposals by potential applicants: April 24, 2025. • Contractual process: May 2025. • Submission of Detailed Annotated Outline: August 31, 2025. • Submission of final draft Report: November 30, 2025 The final research is to be submitted by November 30, 2025. If you anticipate completing your Ph.D. research around 2026 or later this time limit may not align with your schedule.
Does PEFA Secretariat offer research training opportunities at your headquarters in order to do research and use PEFA data and work in PEFAs’ Library	No, PEFA Secretariat does not offer training in research. PEFA data is publicly available from website www.pefa.org. Further, if necessary, data access will be facilitated to selected candidates.
What do you mean by ‘Graduate Students’?	"Graduate students" are individuals enrolled in master's and doctoral programs. The candidate must be actively pursuing a graduate degree at the time of application.