Daayitwa-Nepal Public Service Fellowship 2017

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1 Daayitwa-Nepal Public Service Fellowship 2017 Nepal has an immense potential for economic growth and development. One of the critical opportunities our generation faces is how we capitalize on these potentials and mitigate risks to contribute to individual, community and national development. Our collective talent, energy and passion can contribute tremendously in any sector we choose to release our entrepreneurial spirit. This was also demonstrated in the aftermath of the in April magnitude Nepal earthquake, which took more than 8800 lives and caused $6 billion of damage and losses. The tremendous youth response, marked by creativity, solidarity and agility, during the time after earthquake, has demonstrated that nurturing youth leadership can bring about positive transformation for a resilient, thriving and prosperous Nepal. As Nepal moves towards state restructuring and economic prosperity needed to realize the aspirations of the new constitution, the urgency for a change in national mindset is now higher than ever - we need to move from dependency to collaboration and from desperation to innovation. A thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem is required for developing an enterprising mindset and effective enterprise development. For this to happen, a host of different actors and stakeholders have to work together in symbiotic and synergistic collaboration. The Daayitwa Summer Fellows 2017 will dissect and stitch together the challenges and opportunities in a range of dimensions of these issues. The common goal of the team will be to promote leadership and innovation in governance for creating an enabling environment that promotes economic prosperity and inclusive growth by harnessing the values of collaboration, innovation and service. More specifically, fellows will work closely with partnering government agencies at either national or local level or with a member of parliament or a parliamentary committee. This way, fellows will collaborate, innovate and serve rising above the institutional, geographical, political and power-sharing boundaries to fulfill a common goal for national importance.

2 P2: MOBILE BANKING AND ACCESS TO FINANCE (with NEPAL RASTRA BANK) OVERVIEW Finance is at the center of the development process. A 2008 World Bank study has outlined that access to finance with an inclusive, efficient and well-functioning financial system leads to steady economic growth through improvement in opportunities, balanced income distribution, and poverty reduction. Access to finance, in simple terms, is the ability of individuals or enterprises to receive financial services, including credit, deposit, payment, insurance, and other risk management services. Indicators like whether individuals have bank accounts, use banks as their primary financial institutions and can reach financial institutions by foot are used to measure the extent of access. According to the Nepal Rastra Bank, Nepal s central bank, 61 % of Nepali adults have access to formal financial services. In recent years, there has been surge in network of banks and financial institutions in the country. However, 18 % adults still do not have access to financial services. As of mid-june 2016, there were 4,219 branches of 182 BFIs in the country and population per branch of financial institution stood at 6,647 national averages. Since last decade there have been many discourses about and experiments on mobile phone s potential impacts on financial industry. According to the Global Mobile Systems Association (GMSA), in 2015, people in 93 countries made 33 million daily transactions through 271 mobile money service providers. With these developments, mobile money has also been changing the overall financial landscape: in 2015, 37 mobile money markets had ten times more registered agents than bank branches and total numbers of registered customer accounts increased by 31 percent and reached 411 million globally. MPesa in Kenya is one of the most successful programs on mobile banking till date. According to the Mid-September 2016 Management Information System report by Nepal Telecommunication Authority, Nepal s mobile phone and Internet penetration rates now standing at % and 54 % respectively. Though mobile phone ownership rate in urban areas is higher by about 15 % than that in rural areas, the latter parts of the country are expected to see considerable growth in near future with improved network coverage and expansion of service facilities. Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) is the central bank of Nepal established in 1956 under the Nepal Rastra Bank Act It is the monetary, regulatory and supervisory authority of banks and financial institutions. One of its objects is to promote financial services and ensure financial stability. This is important in order to create an enabling and stable environment where the economy can flourish. NRB wants to work with a Daayitwa Fellow to research on the possibilities of implementing mobile banking model as well as study the challenges and constraints that are likely to be faced during the process. ACTION

3 While the Terms of Reference (TOR) will be further refined with partnering Member of Parliament, the general areas of action are defined below. (1) Research and Analytics Support Conducting research: Successful fellow will develop specific-research questions, scope of analysis, rigorous methodology, and concrete research outputs in close collaboration with Daayitwa Team and the Public Agency. Some of the key areas of focus will include the following: Constraints in policy and practice: Study policies and regulations and suggest ways to better synchronise them. Make data management more scientific. Study of policy-level challenges. Exploration of banking policies, practices and decision-making on the banks as well as access to information that limit access to financial products for entrepreneurs Study of positive deviance and existing, latent and best practices and replicability of programs in countries with similar socio-economic similarities like Nepal which have been successful in adopting mobile technology for financial transaction Action Initiatives: Based on the in-depth study, the Fellow will collaborate with Daayitwa Team and the Public Agency to develop and lead advocacy actions or specific initiatives to implement the findings of the research to make public impact. (2) Adaptive Leadership Development and Capacity Enhancement The team of Fellows will partake a series of leadership exercise developed in collaboration with professors at Harvard Center for Public Leadership. The team of Fellows will also take a short course in Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach designed at the Center for International Development at Harvard The Fellows will provide additional technical and adaptive skills enhancement trainings to the staff of the Public Agency for strengthening the team s capacity to undertake analytical and operational work more effectively and efficiently To equip Daayitwa Fellows with technical tools and contextual knowledge, the following capacity enhancement support will be provided: 1. Introductory course on governance and legislation process of Nepal 2. Training on scientific methodologies for undertaking engagement activities. 3. Effective communication and relationship building skills 4. Writing skills for report, briefs, blog, peer-reviewed journals, wiki, and media outlets (3) Synergistic Collaboration The Daayitwa Fellows will work collaboratively to understand perspectives, challenges, and innovative solutions that could help achieve the common or central objectives of governance reform for economic prosperity and inclusive growth

4 The Fellows and the Public Agency will explore collaboration opportunities with other ministries, members of the parliament, public, private and social sector, and respective constituents The Fellows and the Public Agency staff will participate in advocacy and dialogue, through platforms provided by Daayitwa initiative, such as panel sessions, symposium, and online forums. KEY DELIVERABLES The general timeframe of deliverables are listed below: Inception Report [Jun 7] Bi-weekly progress update notes [Jun 7 - Aug 15] Bi-weekly blog entries [Jun 7 - Aug 15] Mid-term Report (to be built on to Final Report) [Jul 7] Final-Report [Aug 21] Campaign design and implementation [Aug 21] Daayitwa Summit organization and presentation [Aug 28] In addition to the above list, Daayitwa Fellows will be expected to produce policy briefs and undertake concrete-actions, such as leading and designing campaigns, based on the needs identified during the course of the Fellowship. The final list of deliverables will be stated in the Inception Report, which will contain Fellowship Engagement Action-Plan. COMPETENCIES The ideal fellows will be highly motivated and talented Nepali youths living abroad and in Nepal, who are passionate about Nepal s development with the goal of leveraging their outstanding credentials, analytical abilities, and professional and academic networks to find practical solutions to solve our nation s challenges. Category Required Qualifications(Must meet to be considered) Preferred Qualifications(high desirable in addition to the Required Qualifications) Academics Have high academic achievement (respected university, high GPA, coursework rigor) BA/BS in Public Policy, Economics, Business or related field AND Masters in Public Policy, Economics, Business or related field (or ongoing) Academic rigor of the academic institution Masters completed with some work experience Matching academic coursework Professional Experience Policy analysis and research work in international or national setting At least a year of work experience in related field Legislative bill analysis experience Focused research experience on agriculture in Nepal

5 Availability For 3 months between June 1st Aug 31st Daayitwa Passion, interest and a personal sense of Daayitwa towards Nepal s development Demonstrated leadership or active participation in Nepalrelated initiatives or issues Desire to actively contribute to Nepal s development Demonstrated leadership in university, community or in professional field