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Description
Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
The SBC Section in the Programme Group Leadership Team of the Programmes Group at UNICEF Headquarters is seeking an individual consultant to provide technical expertise to complete deliverables as related to:
1. Researching the application of systems approaches to design multi-sectoral interventions with behavioral science in the health sector;
2. Conducting a landscape analysis of multi-sectoral programming in UNICEF;
3. Supporting the design and implementation of a multi-country intervention, including the impact evaluation.
Background:
Multi-sectoral Interventions
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development states that if the “interlinkages and integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” are realised, then “the lives of all will be profoundly improved and our world will be transformed for the better.”
UNICEF operates across these diverse sectors, providing a wide array of services aimed at improving child welfare globally. However, a challenge that persists within such organizations is the tendency for these efforts to be executed in isolation, with limited inter-sectoral cooperation. This compartmentalization can stymie the potential synergies that could be harnessed through more integrated and cooperative approaches.
Behavioral Science
Behavioral science, and Social and Behavior Change (SBC) in particular, holds a distinct advantage in its multi-sectoral approach, with a keen focus on understanding the intricacies of individual behaviors within broader systems. This field is dedicated to dissecting how individual decisions and actions are influenced by various factors, aiming to apply this understanding to promote positive social change across diverse sectors such as health, education, and environmental sustainability.
Despite its broad potential, behavioral science has faced criticism for its reliance on narrowly focused interventions, often termed as "nudges," which aim to influence individual choices through subtle modifications in the environment or the presentation of choices. Critics argue that while these interventions can lead to positive changes, the effects are typically small and may not be sufficient to tackle larger, more complex issues.
The criticism extends to the field's struggles with addressing systemic issues. The complexity of social systems, characterized by a web of interdependent components and stakeholders, poses significant challenges to effecting substantial behavioral change. Traditional behavioral science interventions, with their focus on individual behavior modification, often do not account for the systemic barriers that perpetuate problems at a larger scale. However, there is a growing recognition within the field of the need to evolve beyond simple nudges and to develop interventions that target various components of the system. This involves not only addressing individual behaviors but also tackling the structural, social, and environmental factors that underpin these behaviors.
Responsibilities
The primary objective of this role is to develop a framework or guidance note that country offices can use to design behavioural science interventions that leverage a multi-sectoral approach:
- How to apply systems thinking to map out the components of a target behaviour.
- How to identify sectors that could provide interventions or services to address some of those components.
- How to design new multi-sectoral interventions or leverage services that are already being delivered to be a part of the intervention.
- To develop and test this approach, the project will focus on a health-related issue in Kenya and Burkina Faso:
- Understanding the main drivers and barriers of the health issue to be determined.
- Identifying opportunities to intervene on both the supply and demand side of the issue, leveraging the multi-sectoral approach.
- Designing the interventions or identifying sectoral services that can be leveraged as interventions (e.g., cash transfers, nutrition interventions, WASH infrastructure services).
- Designing, implementing, and evaluating the impact of the intervention, ideally as a randomized control trial or a quasi-experimental method (e.g., synthetic control).
Requirements
Education:
An advanced master’s degree in - Behavioral science, Economics, Psychology, Political Science, Development studies
Work experience:
- A minimum of 7 years' experience executing and evaluating field experiments of applied behavioral science projects, including randomised controlled trials is required. Specifically:
- Researching, designing and implementing interventions that apply behavioral insights methodologies, tools and approaches.
- Research design focused on experimental and quasi-experimental methodologies.
- Executing and evaluating field experiments (behavioral insights interventions).
- Proven track record in conducting field experiments remotely through a local partner.
- Proven track record in conducting field experiments in an African context.
Competencies/Knowledge:
- Data Management & Security Skills for Data cleaning and Data analysis.
Language Proficiency:
- Oral and written proficiency in English is required.