12 Oct 2021

MSc/PhD ‘Wildlife Economy Project’ Bursaries

One MSc bursary and one PhD bursary are available from the African Wildlife Economy Institute at Stellenbosch University. The bursaries are available for commencement of studies in 2022. The successful applicants will take up positions as Research Fellow in the Institute.

The value of the MSc bursary is ZAR90,000 per annum and is tenable for 24 months. The value of the PhD bursary is ZAR150,000 per annum and is tenable for 36 months.

Project background  

The African Wildlife Economy Institute undertakes interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research to enhance the governance and operations of wildlife economies across Africa. Its major areas of research are:

(1) Enabling environment for the wildlife economy;

(2) Ethics and principles in the wildlife economy; and

(3) Effective wildlife economy operations.

See below for a list of possible research projects.

Application requirements  

The bursaries are open to Africa-wide applications. Prosepective candidates need to hold a 4-year undergraduate degree in a relevant field with at least 65% marks to be eligible for the MSc bursary; or need to hold a MSc degree in a relevant field to be eligible for the PhD bursary. 

Interested candidates should submit a CV and a research concept note (max 500 words) that outlines a proposed area of research related to the list of possible topics. Prospective PhD candidates will be asked for a more detailed research proposal.

Closing dates

31 October 2021 for the 2022 MSc bursary (31 October 2022 for the 2023 MSc bursary) and anytime for the PhD bursary 

Please apply via email to Dr J Baum, AWEI Programmes Manager: jbaum@sun.ac.za.

AWEI postgraduate research opportunities

1. Enabling environment for the wildlife economy

  • Analytic comparison of policy effectiveness across countries

     
  • A gap analysis across countries looking into which policies are lacking and need to be developed

     
  • A policy development exercise, e.g., building a framework for policy development to promote wildlife economies through sustainable use

     
  • Legal analysis of wildlife property rights and how they enable or hinder the wildlife economy across a number of African countries

     
  • Analytic comparison of industry standards for a sectoral subset of sustainable use across African countries with recommendations for enhancement and continent-wide adoption

     
  • Gap analysis across countries or sectors looking into which standards might be useful, based on a theoretical model for the use of industry standards in promoting sustainability

     
  • Development of a proposed industry standard incorporating SDG-related objectives for a sector or sub-sector within the wildlife economy

     
  • Analysis of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in international trade in African wildlife economy products and proposals for overcoming them

     
  • Intercontinental and intra-regional trade in wildlife goods and services in Africa: Options for future growth

2. Ethics and principles in the wildlife economy

  • Attitudinal analysis of different stakeholder groups – e.g., consumers, industry stakeholders, government officials – across sub-sectors/value chains or across several countries to better understand the influence of social norms etc. on the uptake of wildlife products

     
  • Assessment of the role of sustainability principles – e.g., transparency, equity, and inclusivity – that enable or hinder demand for wildlife economy goods and services by sector or in countries

     
  • Developing a model for raising awareness of and increasing demand for (specific) wildlife goods and services

     
  • Assessment and comparison of the ‘languages’ and ‘concepts’ used by different actors and stakeholders in wildlife economies, overcoming differences to create a roadmap for a common vision – across Africa or for sub-sectors

 3. Effective wildlife economy operations

  • Marketing analysis – Building the demand side for wildlife products

     
  • Developing a branding strategy for a sub-sector/ value chain to induce the update of a wildlife economy approach

     
  • Developing and applying a model for value chain analysis, including identifying and maximising sustainable and inclusive opportunities within wildlife value chains

     
  • Identifying and applying suitable indicators for assessing the benefits/success of wildlife economies in SDG terms

     
  • Analysis of one comprehensive multi-stakeholder wildlife economy in its application – i.e., a case study

 

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