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Terms of Reference
This work is for a UK cross government group looking at issues on health and conflict, as committed to in the UK Government’s strategy: ‘Health is Global: A UK Government Strategy 2008”. Merlin is currently hosting the group’s manager.
Position: Consultant – research promoting evidence on the value of engaging in health in conflict environments; and the links between health service delivery and stabilisation
Responsible to: Cross Government Group Manager
Daily rate: TBC (Payment will be made on satisfactory completion of the expected outputs at the end of the stated timeframe, following receipt of an invoice.)
Start Date: ASAP
Duration: 40 days including time for report writing, with draft report available midway through the work and a final report available at the end (dates to be confirmed when contract is agreed). Work to be finished by end of March/beginning of April 2010
Location: Home-based work
Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short-listed on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date.
Merlin
Merlin specialises in health, saving lives in times of crisis and helping to rebuild shattered health services. Each year, Merlin helps more than 15 million people in up to 20 countries.
Purpose
To promote evidence on the value of investing in health in conflict environments; and the links between health service delivery and stabilisation. The evidence will feed into UK Government’s policy in this area .
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity .
This study will look at health within the context of health programming delivered by a country’s Ministry of Health (MoH), multilateral and bilateral agencies, non-government organisations (NGOs), including faith-based organisations and the relationship between this delivery and the wider stabilisation.
There are various definitions of stabilisation. This study will use the following:
“Stabilisation is support to countries emerging from violent conflict in:
• Preventing or reducing violence;
• Protecting people and key institutions;
• Promoting political processes which lead to greater stability; and
• Preparing for longer term non-violent politics and development.
Stabilisation usually requires external, joint military and civilian support, a focus on the legitimacy and capability of the state, and tangible benefits to the population to underpin confidence in the state and the political process ”.
Objectives
Primary objectives:
To clarify and assess:
a) The association between introducing and/or strengthening health services in conflict environments and markers for stabilisation;
b) The nature of the relationship between health service delivery and stabilisation – positive, zero or negative; and
c) whether increases in health service delivery for wider stabilisation objectives, is having a positive or negative impact on health indicators?.
Secondary objectives:
The review will also establish how health services provided by government, multilaterals and bilaterals, and NGO programmes including faith-based organisations in a stabilisation context, can affect the perception of the government legitimacy amongst indigenous communities , looking specifically at:
a) Whether the delivery of government or government funded programmes improved community perception in the legitimacy of the government??
b) If not, what do communities feel such programmes do, and does this impact on their view of state legitimacy? Is this dependent on the security situation and therefore does it change over time?
c) Whether the failure to sustain health services with a resultant increase in mortality and morbidity has an impact on the community perception of government legitimacy and the stabilisation programme?
Expected outputs
• A report reviewing the existing evidence, highlighting the evidence’s strengths and weaknesses; and describing the implications for UK government policy;
• The work will be subject to peer review at the following three stages: in finalising the proposal, the interim report and prior to the final report.
Methodology
• A critical literature review, using systematic methods where appropriate, of secondary literature and building upon/updating previous reviews ;
• Particular emphasis will be given to reviewing the evidence behind statements expressed in the literature in order to attempt to differentiate between results based on peer-reviewed evidence and those that are not. This evidence differentials should be made clear within the results;
• The search criteria will need to be proposed by the consultant but could potentially include but not be limited to: health service delivery and the following: stabilisation, conflict, conflict environments, fragile states, legitimacy, health benefits, state building, peace-building, humanitarian aid, health as a bridge for peace etc;
• Secondary literature may be considered from the end of World War II, to date;
• Stakeholders that have a different definition of stabilisation should be identified. The reasons for the differences should be explained and common understanding highlighted. It should be made clear if any differences in the definitions impact on the stakeholders’ beliefs regarding which health interventions are the most effective levers for stabilisation.
Time and Activity
[TBC once contract agreed]: The Review will be conducted within an allocated period of 40 days, between 1st February and 9th April 2010. Within that timeframe the following additional targets are to be met:
Activity - Anticipated number of days
Outline methodology - 5
Preliminary report
This report will explain the methodology to date, preliminary literature results and a description of any stakeholders that have different definition of stabilisation; and
It will also outline draft implications for Government’s policies on health and conflict. - 25
Final report
Report writing (and debrief) –allowing time for comments. The final report will need to be presented within 2 weeks of the final comments. - 10
Payment will be made on satisfactory completion of the expected outputs at the end of the stated timeframe, following receipt of an invoice.
Person Specification
Essential skills and previous experience to include
• Previous work in this policy area; and
• Previous experience of undertaking and publishing peer-reviewed critical literature reviews.
Data Protection
Please note, on submitting your application, you are agreeing to Merlin holding and using the information that you have given for the purposes of recruitment and employment – should an offer be made. Where required by donors funding requirements, some job offers are conditional on our ensuring that potential employees’ names do not appear on counter terrorism lists generated by the United Nations, European Union or the United States. On submitting your application, you are agreeing to Merlin using the information that you have given for checking that your name does not appear on these lists.
In 2008, the UK Government launched ‘Health is Global: A UK Government Strategy 2008”. There was an agreed commitment under “Better global health security”. to “develop more coherent and consistent policy on health and conflict”. Accessed on the 15th December
http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_072696.pdf
WHO’s definition of Health. Accessed on the 15th December 2009
http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html
Definition of stabilisation, HMG’s Stabilisation Unit. Accessed on the 15th December 2009,
http://www.stabilisationunit.gov.uk/index.php/stabilisation-concept
Including for example the WHO’s Health as a Bridge for Peace
Health and Fragile State Network paper (2008), “Health System Reconstruction: Can it Contribute to
State-building?”, Conducted by HLSP Institute.
