Graduate Assistantships: Rule of Law Program

The Carter Center’s Rule of Law Program aims to advance good governance and trust to transform lives through enhanced accountability, transparency, and inclusive access to information and justice. The program works toward our mission through programming in two distinct but complementary areas: 1) improving access to justice and 2) enhancing accountability, transparency, and access to information.

The Rule of Law Program is seeking a qualified graduate student for the 2023-2024 session to support our efforts in three critical areas in current and prospective project countries: 1) addressing sexual and gender-based violence, 2) promoting budget transparency and accountability, and 3) advancing the rule of law in U.S. elections. The Graduate Assistant will collaborate with our team to research, design, and implement strategies to enhance these initiatives.

To effectively build upon previous progress and create new, innovative approaches, it is crucial for the Rule of Law Program to carefully consider the fundamental role of these concepts across projects. This will involve evaluating our current engagements in these areas, analyzing our successes and challenges in project countries, identifying areas for improvement in our current programming, and developing the necessary tools and strategies for implementation.

The graduate assistant will play a vital role in this process by conducting extensive research and analysis to help expand the Rule of Law Program’s strategies.

Activities may include:

• Research and analysis of good governance practices, including efforts undertaken to build awareness and capacity of government officials at various levels and citizens to promote public dialogue and social accountability approaches.
• Research on specific topics relevant to these three programmatic areas, including initiatives undertaken by other groups/organizations.
• Engage with relevant stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organizations, and country-based staff, to create awareness and promote these concepts.
• Collaborate with local partners, stakeholders, and staff to increase the participation and engagement of civil society.
• Development of a white paper on how The Carter Center’s Rule of Law Program engages gender, justice, and accountability, including a holistic model for programming built on a sound theoretical base.
• Contribute to the development of relevant reports, policy briefs, and other communications materials.
• Develop and/or update necessary tools for implementation of programming centered around budget transparency and accountability, including a manual on incorporating budget transparency in existing trainings, guidelines on creating assessments that consider accountability mechanisms, and a checklist for developing programming that incorporates these practices into programming.

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled graduate student who has completed at least two semesters of academic coursework in a master’s level program.
• A 20-hour per week commitment for a period of 9-12 months.
• Demonstrated ability to independently conduct research.
• Strong writing skills

Preferred qualifications:

• Coursework or experience in related fields, such as public policy, public finance, gender studies, public administration, law, international development, or political science.

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