Revenue Watch Institute
OSI-New York

Application Deadline: June 5, 2009

The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, OSI builds alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information. OSI places a high priority on protecting and improving the lives of marginalized people and communities.

Investor and philanthropist George Soros in 1993 created OSI as a private operating and grantmaking foundation to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the activities of the Soros foundations network to encompass the United States and more than 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Each Soros foundation relies on the expertise of boards composed of eminent citizens who determine individual agendas based on local priorities. 

Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) is a non-governmental organization that promotes responsible management of oil, gas and mineral resources for the public good.  Too often natural resource wealth results in corruption and poverty, instead of growth and development.  With effective revenue management, citizen engagement and government accountability, natural resource wealth can drive economic growth and development. RWI provides the expertise, funding and technical assistance to help countries realize these benefits. RWI currently employs a full-time staff of twenty-three, and works with partners and affiliates in over thirty-three countries.

RWI has recently launched a new book in-house project. The book will examine the economic, social and geo-political legacies of the commodity frenzy that unfolded in resource-rich counties between early 2003 and mid-2008. RWI is seeking two graduate summer associates to provide research support to the project. Position located in New York.

Responsibilities

• Provide research support to RWI on legal, economic and political issues related to the book project;
• Prepare tables and graphs for a summary of statistical results;
• In collaboration with senior research staff, draft material summarizing research results on specific topics as assigned, for incorporation into project publication;
• Locate and collect relevant documents and data from sources such as electronic databases, libraries, and government publications;
• Provide summaries of existing literature pertinent to the book.

Qualifications

• Graduate student with major in economics, law, international affairs or political science;
• Strong research, writing and organizational skills;
• Strong computer skills;
• Some knowledge of resource rich developing countries;
• Competence to undertake research assignments with little supervision;
• Proficiency in a foreign language is preferred but not required;
•  Ability to commit at least 20 hours a week to the internship.

Duration

Part-time (20 hours per week), May/June through August 2009

Compensation

Hourly rate commensurate with experience. Lunch provided.

To Apply

Please email resume, cover letter and brief writing sample (no more than 15 pages, academic papers accepted) with salary requirements before June 5, 2009 to: humanresources@sorosny.org Include job code in subject line: GSAssoc/RWI 

OR 

Open Society Institute
Human Resources - Code GSAssoc/RWI
400 West 59th Street
New York, New York 10019

FAX: 212.548.4675

No phone calls, please. The Open Society Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.