CAD’s Research Fellowship Program is designed to provide Masters-level Graduate Students with the opportunity to learn about Peru, in general, and governance and legal issues relating to economies in transition, in particular.  Fellows will serve as CAD Fellows, be included on our roster of affiliated researchers, and receive credit in our published reports.

“At CAD, I not only gained the opportunity to further develop my research, writing and presentation skills, I also had a chance to improve my Spanish. But perhaps more than anything, I will remember with great fondness the kindness of my bright, energetic co-workers, and the friendships and memories we built in such a short time.” (Soraya Kelly, SRF 05)

Fellows will conduct practical research (including field research) grounded in up-to-date theoretical models and analysis of top-priority public policy issues in Peru.  They will also aid CAD in improving program implementation and in designing incentives or "levers" through which their analysis will result in desired policy outcomes in the short, medium, and long terms.   Research and program implementation areas include, among others:  legal ethics; transparency, accountability and access to information; corruption; citizen participation in governance; economic, social and environmental impact of public policies; corporate social responsibility; communications and media for citizen engagement; and monitoring and evaluation of development programming. 

 “What really marked me during my tenure at CAD was the rich learning atmosphere in the office. Of course, the staff works hard, but they also take time to discuss issues, ranging from CAD’s work and mission to salient political themes, both Peruvian and international.” (Karen Greiner, SRF 05)

Fellows are encouraged to take advantage of their time in Lima to learn about Peru and development and policy issues as they play out in the Peruvian context.  Fellows will have access to CAD's stable of relationships with Peru's top universities (where our staff also teach), lawyers, policymakers, and development professionals.  CAD encourages Fellows to engage with Peruvian peers in their field of interest and will be happy to assist Fellows in making contacts with area professionals.  Fellows also benefit from our in-house educational program, which includes an initial orientation program, weekly in-depth policy and news briefings/discussions, and regular staff presentations on current projects.

While Spanish proficiency is helpful, it is not required.  CAD can assist Fellows in locating Spanish language classes in Lima and Fellows will have ample opportunities to practice their Spanish with CAD staff.

About CAD Ciudadanos al Día

Since its founding in 2002, Ciudadanos al Día (CAD) has sought to revolutionize the relationship between citizens and their government in Peru. CAD, a Peruvian activist NGO, works to improve the citizen-state relationship at all levels of government office by introducing interventions which lead to a state that is more transparent, efficient and equitable, and to a citizenry that is more informed, demanding and engaged.

CAD’s innovative programming and methodology create incentives for social change.  By comparing government entities in cross-cutting categories like citizen service, social inclusion, and transparency, CAD intervenes to make government entities compete to best serve citizens.  In RankinCAD, CAD surveys citizens’ satisfaction with services at a range of governmental entities, then publishes the results, comparing the best and worst performers.  Through the annual Best Practices in Public Management Award Program, CAD celebrates government success, thereby documenting best practices, incentivizing public officials to improve and giving citizens concrete ideas for reforms that they themselves can demand. 

For CAD, information is a tool that can be leveraged to generate citizen demand and give public officials incentives to improve.  CAD generates high quality, credible research about government performance, then translates its findings into citizen-accessible language and recommendations.  They support the media to embrace its role as a government watchdog and agent of social change, and feed their messaging – from their research, to competition to best practices - through journalists to citizens to stimulate their desire for change. 

CAD’s innovation is having an impact and gaining national and international recognition. In a 2007 survey of Peruvian policy makers, CAD ranked among the top six most influential NGOs in Peru.  CAD is implementing its innovative project model with funding from such diverse development organizations as L'Agence Canadienne de Développement International (ACDI), World Justice Project of the American Bar Association, Tinker Foundation, Open Society Institute, the Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for Democracy.