Job Opportunity for Research Associate – Randomised evaluation of the Ama Krushi Programme at Poverty Action Lab

Location:

 India

Education:

 Bachelor’s
 Master’s

Start Date (Earliest):

 1 September 2022

Language Requirement:

 English
 Hindi
 Oriya

Length of Commitment:

 Less than one year

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) J-PAL was established in 2003 as a research center at the Economics Department at MIT. Since then, it has grown into a global network of researchers who use randomized evaluations to answer critical policy questions in the fight against poverty. J-PAL is propelled by a first-rate team dedicated to research, policy, training, and other vital work, supporting J-PAL’s mission to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence.

J-PAL South Asia at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (J-PAL SA) in India, analyses and disseminates research results and builds partnerships with policymakers to ensure that policy is driven by evidence, and that programs proven effective are scaled up. We have a growing number of partnerships in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Project Description:

The primary aim of the research project is to understand whether and how agricultural extension provided via mobile phones affects agricultural productivity and profitability among smallholder rice farmers in Odisha, India. The research is motivated by the large and persistent yield gap that exists among smallholder farmers in developing countries and the potential of digital technology to reduce this gap by providing timely and customized agricultural information to farmers. We are examining this question using a large-scale randomized controlled trial.

 There are two secondary purposes. First, the study will test low-cost approaches to measuring yields. Specifically, it will assess the feasibility of using satellite images to estimate farmers’ rice yields in Odisha. This work will help address a common empirical challenge of evaluating digital extension and other agricultural interventions. Previous studies have generally relied on expensive fieldwork to collect yield data, either harvesting “crop cuts” or surveying farmers individually. Both approaches suffer from high costs and limited scalability. In addition, self-reported yield data is prone to considerable measurement errors. By exploring cost-effective and reliable alternatives, the evaluation will inform future research designs in the agriculture sector. Second the study will generate further learnings on message and service designs that could increase the impact of digital extension on productivity by incorporating A/B tests within the treatment group to trial new content, functions, and delivery mechanisms.

 The research is conducted in collaboration with Precision Agriculture for Development (PxD), a US-based NGO that delivers mobile-based agricultural extension services to smallholders in East Africa, West Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Since 2018, PAD has been implementing the “Ama Krushi” service – a two-way, voice-based farmer information platform- in Odisha. The service consists of an outbound component, which delivers weekly and customized advisory messages to farmers’ mobile phones, and an inbound component or “hotline”, which allows farmers to record questions and listen to previous content. As of September 2020, over 950,000 farmers were registered on Ama Krushi.

 The study’s sample frame will comprise of smallholder rice farmers in ~1500 villages in 13 blocks in 5 districts in Odisha. These blocks were selected based on their (i) low Ama Krushi penetration rate and (ii) coverage by the same satellite path. The anticipated sample size is up to 20,000 farmers. Study participants will be selected at random in each of the study villages using the following “random walk” method.

The Research Associate is needed for the endline phase of the described project.

Research Associate Roles and Responsibilities:

The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. The Research Associate will join a team of world class researchers from leading universities in the world and will gain first-hand experience implementing Randomized Control Trials in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. The RA will work closely with academic researchers, PAD’s research team and other field staff to perform a variety tasks including, but not limited to:

• Designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, running pilot exercises, refining study design and protocols.
• Managing teams: Recruit, train, and supervise both field-based and data operations teams consisting of project assistants, field managers, field-based surveyors, data entry operators and other field and office staff.
• Implementing field activities, including accompaniments and back-checks, contingent on COVID-19 risk assessments and protocols.
• Supporting PAD’s Research Manager to prepare IRB amendments, safety protocols and procedures, as required under J-PAL’s research ramp-up checklist
• Assisting with data quality-assurance, cleaning, preliminary data analysis, and preparation of documents and presentations
• Reporting to PAD’s RM and/or PIs on all of the above mentioned activities.
• Maintain compliance with all J-PAL protocols and policies.

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s/ Master’s degree in economics, social sciences, mathematics/statistics, public policy, or related fields
• Research Experience-0-2 years; prior experience managing large-scale fieldwork is strongly preferred
• Experience in developing country
• Excellent management/ organizational skills and able to solve unexpected problems
• Strong quantitative skills
• Working knowledge of Stata (essential) or other data analysis software is preferred
• Familiarity with RCTs
• Demonstrated experience managing a team
• Flexible, self-motivating, independent and manages multiple tasks efficiently
• Ability to deal with unstructured and changing environments
• Attention to detail

Note on Work Authorizations:

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.

How to Apply

Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application. After completing a brief registration, choose the Research job category, then select Research Associate- Randomised evaluation of the Ama Krushi programme- J-PAL South Asia and include resume, cover letter, transcripts, and two recommendation letters. Note that applications with incomplete submissions will not be considered.

You are able to submit your application before your references complete their recommendation letters; however, you must include their contact information before submitting your application. Given the volume of applications received, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.