[Air-L] Call for proposal, Internet Economy Research Fellowships

[Christopher Hooton]

Colleagues,

Please note the following RFP for research proposals.  Deadline is July 12
for applications.

Regards,
Chris



*Internet Association*

*Internet Economy Research Fellowships*

*Request for Proposals*

*June 2017*





*Job Title*:* Internet Economy Research Fellowship (multiple positions
available)*



*Organization*: The Internet Association's mission is to foster innovation,
promote economic growth, and empower people through the free and open
Internet. It is the only trade association that exclusively represents
leading global internet companies on matters of public policy. The Internet
creates unprecedented benefits for society, and as the voice of the world's
leading Internet companies, we ensure stakeholders understand these
benefits.

*Role*: The *Internet Economy Research Fellowship Program *is an initiative
to provide young researchers the opportunity to produce cutting-edge
analysis on the role of the Internet in the US and global economies.
Fellows will work under the supervision of the Chief Economist of Internet
Association and with input from Internet Association’s independent Research
Advisory Group.  Fellows will have the potential for unique access to
representatives of the leading Internet companies in the world and are
expected to provide significant research contributions with direct and
timely relevance for policymakers, private sector leaders, and researchers.



*2017 Topics of interest*:

*1)    **Measuring the economic benefits of peer-to-peer platforms* – There
has been a dramatic rise in the volume and popularity of peer-to-peer (p2p)
platforms over the past 5 to 10 years. While anecdotal research and a
handful of quantitative research studies have developed measures on the
contributions of specific platforms or types of platforms, robust
methodologies and a universal perspective are lacking. In particular, apart
from general participation (i.e. number of ride-share drivers), aggregate
figures on the earnings, time utilization, social benefits, and other
aspects have largely gone unmeasured.  Internet Association seeks research
proposals that would begin to measure these economic benefits.



*2)    **Valuing the benefits of instantaneous knowledge through
user-generated content reviews* – How do we value the efficiency gains of
the internet?  Government and other public data broadly fail to capture
these ‘new’ aspects of the digital economy.  One specific area of interest
is how user-generated reviews have impacted the efficiency of consumers and
the performance of businesses.  From increased clientele to feedback
systems to a more dynamic marketplace, Internet Association seeks proposals
that examine what these benefits are, how they can be measured, and what
their impacts have been.



*3)    **Scenarios for the role of autonomous vehicles in society* – A 2016
OECD study determined that vehicular traffic in Lisbon could be reduced by
90% while maintaining the same volume of persons traveling/commuting
through the use of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). Internet Association and its
members seek proposals to better understand how such an outcome could
positively impact local economies (both generally and in specific case
studies).  Proposals that focus on scenarios examining how local
governments could utilize surplus space and on developing cost-benefit
analyses of AV introductions are particularly welcomed.



*4)    **Assessing the harms of fraud and the fraud industry *– Utilizing
online resources and data, Internet Association seeks proposals examining
the world of fraud and fraud-related complaints.  Analysis of fraud
activities by type, geography and victim, estimations on the cost of fraud,
and a review of policy solutions are particularly welcomed.



*5)    **Privacy issues – examining risks and assessing costs *– data
security and user privacy are sensitive areas for both businesses and
individuals.  Internet Association seeks proposals that examine the issue
from an economic perspective. IA is open to a variety of perspectives from
breaches, to encryption technology, consumer or business behavior.



*6)    *IA will also consider well-developed applications on any of the
following *policy priority areas*: Patents, Net Neutrality, Trade,
Immigration Reform, Privacy, Government Data Collection, Copyright, Data
Security, Intermediary liability, Sharing Economy, Global Internet
Governance



*Fellowship terms*:

-        A stipend award upon successful completion of the fellowship,
contingent upon the completion of 1 fully drafted publication as well as
meeting agreed upon intermediary deadlines during fellowship;

-        Duration of approximately 6 months, to begin August 2017 and be
fully completed by January 2018;

-        Ability to work approximately 1 day per week (on average) for the
full duration of the fellowship; fellows may plan their own schedule to
work around other commitments

-        Ability to provide updates to Internet Association’s Chief
Economist at least one time per month;

-        Ability to promptly answer emails, speak on the phone, and respond
to requests when they arise;

-        Ability to conduct rigorous economic research independently;

-        Ability to potentially present research to Internet Association
stakeholders and other interested parties (funding for travel and
presentation costs available where appropriate)



*Qualifications*:

-        Must be a current or recently graduated PhD candidate in
Economics, Political Science, Data Science, Business, Geography, Public
Policy, Planning, or another policy related field;

-        Demonstrated ability to conduct research independently

-        Strong interest in the role of the Internet in the US and global
economies

-        Research must be in relevant topic area of interest (please see
topics list)

-        Ability to conduct applied empirical work

-        Ability to work under deadlines

-        Excellent oral and written communication skills

-        Creativity and entrepreneurial spirit



*Education*: Must be a PhD candidate (current or recently-graduated), a
Post-Doctoral Researcher, or a professional researcher with a strong record
of conducting high-quality research.  The Fellowship is open to applicants
who are able to work on part-time basis.



*Contact* – Send a Cover Letter, CV, a 0.5 to 1-page research proposal, and
a scholarly writing sample (can be either academic or an
industry/government report) to: economics at internetassociation.org



*APPLICATIONS DUE: *
*Wednesday July 12, 2017 by 5:00pm US Eastern Time with interviews/calls to
be conducted the following two weeks.  Fellowship to commence August 1,
2017 and last through January 31, 2018.*