A “Policy Development Fellowship Program" has been launched by the Open Society Fund BiH (OSF) in 2004. The main goal of the Policy Development Fellowship Program is to improve BH policy research and dialogue and to contribute to the development of a sound policy-making culture based on informative and empirically grounded policy options.

In 2012, OSF BH will support research within the following policy topics:

• Cultural practices/policies and social change in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Philosopher Theodor Adorno wrote that ”culture suffers damage when it is planned and administrated, when it is left to itself, however, everything cultural threatens not only to lose its possibilities of effect, but its very existence as well.” The recent crisis of major cultural institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the last but not the least evidence of marginalization of arts and culture in public policies at all levels of government.
This policy topic encompass wide areas of enquiry: What standards and principles have governed public policies and practices in the field of arts and culture and what should be changed? What are the most appropriate public funding models for arts and culture? Is there any capacity to foster creative industries or cultural tourism? What role can culture play in reintegration of the country and does anybody care?

• Gender equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina – In matter and manner

Despite the existence of the relatively progressive legal framework in the field of promoting and protecting women's human rights that is in effect for several years now in Bosnia and Herzegovina, discrimination against women in different spheres is widespread. To mention but a few: women in BiH do not have equal opportunities to participate and are underrepresented in political decision-making within the legislative, executive and judicial authorities; women’s access to the labor market is limited and consequently they make the most of the unemployed population; the recent OSCE monitoring report on sentencing in domestic violence criminal proceedings revealed low capacity of judiciary to protect victims of violence let alone to contribute to preventing domestic violence.
What policies should be employed in order to strengthen gender equality and reduce gender based discrimination beyond the pure norm?

Full text of the Call for Applications is available here.

The deadline for submitting applications is April 20, 2012.