Call for Expressions of Interest: Advancing decision-relevant evidence on gig work in LMICs

September 2, 2026 – IDinsight is inviting Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the final round of research grants under our Digital Economy Research Impact Initiative (DERII). Grants of up to $250,000 will fund research on gig work that speaks directly to the decisions facing policy-makers, platforms, and regulators across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Background

IDinsight’s Digital Economy Research Impact Initiative (DERII) studies the welfare of gig workers on digital labor platforms in low-capital, location-based sectors — building on descriptive research already completed in India, Indonesia, and Kenya. As governments and regulators grapple with gig worker classification, social protection, and platform accountability, this final round will fund studies that generate evidence those decision-makers can act on.

What we’re looking for

Studies on digital labor platforms in low-capital, location-based sectors (e.g., two- and three-wheel drivers, domestic workers, delivery workers) operating in LMICs, with a research question tied to an active policy or regulatory debate. Causal, descriptive, and mixed-methods designs are all eligible — what matters is fit between the methodology and the decision-making context. We’re also open to descriptive replication studies that extend our prior research into new contexts.