Closing Date: June 15, 2012.

The Inter-American Development Bank has launched a call for research proposals on the measurement of costs of crime and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is an effort to quantify the negative consequences of this phenomenon, inform the public policy debate, and provide tools for systematic and robust analysis of citizen security policies promoted by governments.

Crime and violence are the top concerns of citizens in the region and absorb a substantial amount of government resources and efforts. Crime and violence are obstacles to the economic growth and social development of countries in the region, as they negatively affect the business climate and the well-being of the citizens, especially the most vulnerable groups in society.

Proposals may focus on tangible and/or intangible costs of crime and violence in one or more countries in the region. Tangible costs include, for example, investments by people and communities to avoid being victims of crime and violence and expenditure on activities to identify and prosecute offenders. Some of the intangible costs that could be evaluated are the losses of social capital, well-being, equanimity, freedom, and trust.

Each selected research proposal will receive IDB financial support of up to US$35,000. Projects with additional funding from other institutions to complement this financing will receive special consideration.

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A second round of funding, called the Innovation Pilot Window, for smaller scale pilot programmes (up to £2 million) will be launched later this year. Details will be provided on this website by September 2012.

The Open Society Fellowship supports individuals who are developing innovative solutions to pressing open society challenges. The fellowship program seeks applicants eager to communicate original and provocative ideas to a broad audience, as well as to shape policy and inspire critical debate among activists, intellectuals, decision makers, and the public. The program also aims to sharpen the Open Society Foundations'  thinking, question its assumptions, and broaden its understanding of pivotal problems.

A fellow's contribution may take several forms. A fellowship project might identify a problem that has not previously been recognized, develop new policy ideas to address familiar problems, or offer a new advocacy strategy. Fellows are invited to join the diverse Open Society Foundations community and bring new people and fresh ideas to the organization. Most fellows sit in residence in Foundations offices. They are encouraged to organize and participate in conferences and program events and may be asked to run seminars involving Foundations staff and outside colleagues. The Open Society Fellowship is open to journalists, activists, academics, and public policy practitioners from around the world.

Recent fellows have explored topics such as the role of new media in authoritarian societies, the prospects of applying criminal law to arms manufacturers trading in war zones, the diverse and contradictory effects of Chinese migration to Africa, and the challenges of community organizing in the rural United States. Fellows have posed—and attempted to answer—such pointed questions as: Do international tribunals really serve the interests of victims of atrocity? and How can ordinary citizens evaluate classified intelligence as their country prepares for war?  

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