Open Society Initiative For Europe (OSIFE)

Mapping the Ukrainian debate in Italy

Terms of Reference

Background information

The emergence of a New Ukraine is an event that reshapes the European map by offering the opportunity to go back to the original essence of European integration: union, solidarity, democracy, and peace. A strong, successful Ukraine is the best guarantee against democratic backslide in the east of the continent, and yet many players inside the EU are reluctant to accept the Maidan revolution as democratic and the Ukrainian government as legitimate.

On the one side of the divide are so-called “Russlandversteher” (Russia understanders). Some of them have their own agendas, usually related to their links with Russia, and will be difficult to convince. But for other groups and individuals the real situation in Ukraine may be obscured by a combination of ignorance of the facts on the ground, Russian propaganda, anti-American feelings, and genuine concern about developments in Ukraine.

This second group includes key opinion-makers, some traditional political mainstream players (such as trade unions and some political parties), emerging groups that are re-shaping Europe’s political map, in particular in southern Europe (M5S in Italy, Podemos in Spain, Syriza in Greece), and a wide range of liberal NGOs in Western Europe.

In the middle of the debate, there is a big group of analysts and decision-makers who quickly brush over the challenges Ukraine poses to Europe and argue EU to focus on its internal, more pressing problems. On the other end of the spectrum, some think tanks, officials and opinion makers promote a geopolitical battle with Russia, invoke the re-emergence of a new Cold War, and uncritically support Ukraine. To date, there is no publicly available study or report that would map the different voices in the Italian debate on Ukraine. OSIFE would like to fill in the void by commissioning a short paper to inform its own programming.

Overall aim and specific objectives

The consultant is expected to chart the main players in the Italian debate on Ukraine, outline the key arguments and their evolution in the past 18 months. Specifically, the report will

• take stock of any existing polling evidence
• provide a ‘who is who?’ with information about at least
• 6 newspapers,
• 10 audiovisual outlets (TV and radio),
• 6 internet sites,
• About 50 opinion leaders and trends in social networks.
• Categorize the main strains of discussion and eventually identify different sides / camps of the discussion.
• Provide a brief account of how Russia has tried to influence the Italian debate on Ukraine through domestic actors and outlets
• Include a section with recommendations on
• What are the spaces OSF should engage and would most likely to have impact?
• What are the voices (of reason or doubt) that should be amplified?
• What are other ways OSIFE may engage or support vital parts of this debate?

Deliverables and timeline

One report up to 3,000 words + Appendices (at discretion of the author) as stipulated above

All appendices should be presented separately. The consultant shall submit a draft evaluation report by April 1, 2015 and the final report by May 1, 2015. The report will not be public.

Contract term:

Max. number of working days during the term:

Fee: (please indicate currency and payment unite – day, hour, word …etc)

Conditions and remuneration

The consultant will spend at least 15 full working days in carrying out this task.  

Remuneration: $6,500 (gross)

Payment schedule:

First payment 70%

Second payment on receipt of final report on 1 May 2015.

Additional expenses covered:

• Administrative and communication expenses (up to $500 USD, reimbursed based on receipts and an itemized call list for telephones).
• Purchase of services, organization of meetings and logistics-related support (up to $1,200, reimbursed based on receipts / original invoices addreesed to OSIFE Barcelona).

For example:

• Travel related expenses when traveling outside of your home country, based on receipts (flight or other means of transportation, accommodation)
• Travel related expenses when traveling outside of your home city, based on receipts (train or other means of transportation, accommodation)
• Working lunches or dinners with stakeholders, based on receipts (please indicate who you took out and on what purpose!)
• Conference registration fee, based on receipts
• Cost of events that you organize on the request of OSF based on an agreed budget prior to the event, , based on receipts
• Any data or statistical information that is needed for the report, which has been approved by OSIFE in advance, based on receipts

• Any other expense, deemed reasonable, must be discussed with OSIFE staff in advance of purchase and subject to approval.
• All business expenses are subject to approval prior to purchase or commitment.

OR

• A research assistant can be added to help with the workload if needed instead of the above expenses. Renumeration $1700 (gross).

Note: Those consultants who have full-time jobs could opt to receive the funds through their organizations and integrate this task in their regular work. The consultants should feel free to add another researcher or a research asistant to help with the workload. Regardless of the arrangment, the total amount of the OSIFE remuneration and expense reimbursement cannot exceed $8,200 USD.

Justification why the consultant was chosen:

All contracts were for the same amount. We needed to find highly specialized researchers to map the debate on Ukraine in Europe, therefore we identified a shortlist of candidates in consultation with colleagues in the Think Tank Fund, OSEPI and in consultation with members of the OSIFE board and chose the most qualified who could produce the report in the time allowed. In the case of Italy we agreed that Eleonora Poli, a researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), was the best suited to the task. Her research areas cover the political and institutional implications of the Eurozone crisis and the European role in regional conflicts resolution. - See more at: http://www.iai.it/en/persone/eleonora-poli#sthash.dLb9pxAn.dpuf .

Indicate how the proposed work will assist the program in achieving its charitable mission/objectives:

To complete our 2015 work plan that includes a new portfolio of work on Europe and Ukraine OSIFE must first identify potential partners for this work in Europe. This is a new body of work for OSIFE for 2015. The research is to be completed by 1st May 2015 to allow OSIFE time to plan its work plan, objectives and impacts for the remainder of 2015. Without this research OSIFE will not be able to identify key partners to impact the debate on Ukraine in Europe and therefore will not achieve the desired outcome of influencing the narrative about Ukraine in European social movements.

Fonte: qui

P.S.: potete usare la funzione TRANSLATE di Google(sulla colonna di destra), selezionando prima un qualsiasi linguaggio e poi successivamente, l'italiano, per avere la traduzione automatica.