Research Fellowship at Centre for Internet & Society (May 2019 Session), Grab a Chance to Win Rs. 1.5 Lakhs

Interested candidates can fill the application form on or before 18 November 2018 via online mode only.  The research scholarship is being offered and supported by research assistance from Azim Premji University. Read the complete information regarding its eligibility, steps to apply, key documents and many more.

Highlights of the Scholarship Scheme:

• The research study will be conducted under the team of advisors and researchers, comprising of Dr. Winifred Poster ( Lecturer of International Affairs at Washington University in Saint Louis, Rakhi Sehgal (Labor Researcher and Trade Unionist), Susana Barria (Public Services International), and Dr. Kavita Philip (Associate Professor of History, affiliate faculty, Informatics at University of California, Irvine).

Important Dates:

Scholarship Amount:

• The top two winners will receive a cash prize worth of ₹ 1, 50,000/- each in three equal instalments.
• The first instalment of a scholarship amount will be distributed after signing the agreement in the month of December.
• The second instalment of a scholarship amount will be paid on completion of the fieldwork in the month of March.
• The last instalment will be given after the submission of a complete ethnographic report at the end of May.

Essential Information:

Eligibility Criteria:

Nationality:

• Students who are currently living in India can apply for the scholarship.

Educational qualifications:

• An applicant must hold a PG level degree (or currently pursuing a postgraduate degree) in journalism, social sciences, or legal studies can apply.
• Students who are undergraduate degree holders with extensive research experience are also appropriate for the scholarship.

Additional background:

• A candidate must be a resident of the city where the field study will be undertaken.
• Must be fluent in the English language (especially in written) and the main regional language of the city where research work takes place.
• Students with previous research and writing experiences on the related issues of digital, labor & work will get preference.

Steps to Apply:

In order to apply for the fellowship scheme, interested candidates need to submit his/her updated CV along with other required documents in the PDF or text form and email at [email protected].

Necessary Documents:

Rules and Regulations:

• The top 3 shortlisted candidates will have to work part-time for the duration of 6 months, i.e., from December 2018 to May 2019.
• The selected fellows will have to work in field-study of platform-work like transportation and specific app-based logistical services.
• The committee members of the scholarship will select the scholars on the basis of their proposals.
• The research work will be done on the basis of the following questions:

1. What legal, social, economic, and technological challenges are being faced by platform-workers, and what structural barriers (say, digital divide) are shaping the ability of platform-workers to articulate and access labor rights in these industries?
2. How are existing forms and practices of labor management and self-organization (including formal unions) are being recast in the context of platform-work?
3. How are gig economy platforms impacting the labor market in India? Is platform-work driving new patterns of migration across geographies (including rural to urban) and industries? What skills are being demanded of platform-workers, and how are they acquiring such skills and entering this job market?