Sector Analysis: Using data blending and dashboards to summarise economic performance

The internship will be hosted within the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Economic Adviser (OCEA), specifically in the Directorate for Chief Economist’s OCEA: Business Economic & Sector (BES) team. This team provides economic analysis support to DG Economy, working alongside policy advisers, statisticians, and researchers. The internship will involve providing analytical and data analysis support for the delivery of the Scottish Government’s National Innovation Strategy, with project details tailored to the intern’s skills and the team’s specific needs.

Improving impact assessments to support the use of evidence in Scottish Government policy making

This internship forms part of an exciting cross-government programme to enhance how policymakers take account of the impacts of their decisions on different people, organisations or places. Working in a small team led by Chief Social Policy Adviser Professor Linda Bauld, but engaging with multiple policy and analytical areas, the candidate will contribute to a high profile programme of actions to develop the system of impact assessments within the Scottish Government. The team has a strong track record of hosting successful SGSSS internships. 

Developing the evidence base on childcare for families most at risk of poverty

Scottish Government has committed to better understanding and testing how to deliver high-quality, local, affordable and accessible childcare which supports family wellbeing and employment and helps lift families out of poverty. We are working to build our evidence base in this area and are seeking an intern to help us with this. The project will involve gathering, critically evaluating and summarising evidence from a range of sources to fill identified evidence gaps.

Reactive project in support of Drugs Policy and the National Mission on Drugs

SGSSS internships present invaluable opportunities for analytical outputs to be produced that are reactive and supportive to rapidly changing policy needs. As such, the outputs of these internships are likely to be of great relevance and value to the work of policy colleagues and present opportunity to have real impact on decision making. With this in mind, we will develop the specific focus of this project closer to when the internship is due to start. We will also try to offer a choice of the project that they undertake and ensure the project is shaped around the skills of the candidate. Previous research projects have included evidence/data reviews, surveys, mapping exercises and interviewing.

A case study approach to understanding system change in local child poverty support systems

This project is at the centre of a wide evaluation package that supports the national  priority to eradicate child poverty. Findings will feed into specific and practical policy design and implementation. This includes informing delivery of the Fairer Futures Partnerships and the development of the third and final delivery plan to eradicate child poverty.

In this highly sensitive and fast paced environment, the intern will be strongly supported by the Poverty and Place-based Research Team.  The team provides social research and analytical support on poverty policies, with a primary focus on child poverty. Policies to tackle child poverty are wide ranging and sit across different government departments. As such, the intern will have the opportunity to collaborate with analytical and policy colleagues across Scottish Government.