Jacques Bertrand leads new $400,000 IDRC project in Myanmar

September 5, 2018

Jacques Bertrand and his collaborators are recent recipients of a new International Development Research Centre (IDRC) funded project that continues the Asian Institute’s active involvement in Myanmar’s political and economic transition. The $400,000 project is part of the IDRC and Global Affairs Canada’s “Knowledge for Democracy in Myanmar” (K4DM) initiative that seeks to support democratic transition in Myanmar through policy research focusing on decentralization and public service delivery in ethnic minority areas. It builds on political scientist Jacques Bertrand’s previous research, funded by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), which analyzed the evolution of the ceasefire and peace negotiations with ethnic minority groups since Myanmar began its political and economic reforms in 2011. In this current project, Bertrand is collaborating with the Myanmar Institute of Peace and Security (MIPS), a recently established think-tank led by Dr. Min Zaw Oo. At the Asian Institute, Bertrand is leading a team of researchers that will soon begin fieldwork in several ethnic minority areas key to current decentralization plans: health, education, and security reform. They will be focusing in particular on points of intersection in public service delivery where women are most likely to be involved, or where significant points of friction arise.

This article appears on the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy website.