MRes Scholarship: Assessing a link between ICT-intensity and measured productivity slow-down

To view this project on the KESS 2 website, please visit: http://kess2.ac.uk/21100-2/

Here is an exciting opportunity to study a data analysis methodology which could lead to entirely new approaches in ICT and digital economy.

This is a funded MRes, including a generous stipend and tuition fees, with well-resourced circumstances for a successful scholarship.

The selected candidate will apply their research and problem solving skills and ambition to understand the important link between ICT-intensity and productivity. This collaborative research between the Office for National Statistics and University of South Wales, will allow the student to develop transferable knowledge and skills in this most exciting and active field of digital economy research.

This Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS) project will be supervised by academics from both the Faculty of Business and Society and the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science at the University of South Wales, consequently the student will benefit from a multi-disciplinary studying environment. KESS is a programme funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) awarded by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) in the Welsh Government. The MRes will be associated with the Office for National Statistics based in Newport. The project will focus on the role of ICT development in understanding stagnation of productivity, which is also known as the productivity puzzle.

The project is backed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which produces the UK’s official statistics on the UK, national and regional economies, as well as provides insight into those statistics to help the UK Government, Devolved Administrations and others make better decisions.

Programme of research:
This project aims to assess the extent to which ICT-intensification can explain the slowdown in measured productivity. ICT intensity is one of the sub-indices of the ICT Development Index (IDI), which measures the level of uses of ICTs in the society. This project will use international and regional evidence through econometric studies, and the findings will contribute to the international debate about the treatment of free digital services and the household intermediation that digitalisation enables. The selected candidate will be supervised by the academic supervisory team from the University of South Wales (USW) and the industrial partner supervisor from ONS. The student can enjoy working as a member of the research community in the university, as well as learning from experts in ONS.

Studentship:
The studentship will cover the fees for a 1-year full-time MRes programme and pay a stipend of circa £11k p.a. There is also around £3k project support costs available for consumables, travel, minor equipment, training (including the KESS Grad School) and conference attendance.

The position is available from 1st April 2019.

Eligibility of Student:
To be eligible to hold a KESS studentship, you must:
• have a home address in the Convergence area (details below)* at the time of registration.
• have the right to take up paid work in the Convergence area* on completion of the scholarship.
• be classified by the University as ‘home’ or ‘EU’ for tuition fees purposes according to the University’s guidelines.
• satisfy University of South Wales’s admissions criteria: see below, qualifications and experience and application process

*The Convergence area covers West Wales and the Valleys, and is made up of the following 15 local authorities: Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen.

Qualifications and experience:
Eligible applicants will:
• Have a degree (2i or higher) in an appropriate Business and/or Economics discipline
• Possess a reasonable understanding of economics, statistics, and quantitative research methodologies
• Be highly self-motivated, with capacity to learn and develop quantitative data analysis techniques
• Have well-developed and positively collaborative interpersonal skills
• Have an ability to deliver technical reports and communicate findings
• Be willing to travel and work in industrial / community support settings

Application Process:

To download an application package, please visit: http://gro.southwales.ac.uk/studentships/KESSII/participant/

For any queries on eligibility, please contact: KESS Team at Research and Innovation Services, University of South Wales: [Email Address Removed] Tel: 01443 482578

For informal enquiries or further programme information, please contact: Dr. Geum Young Min ([Email Address Removed] ).
Further information at: http://staff.southwales.ac.uk/users/9624-gymin

Closing date for applications: 4th February 2019