Job Opportunity for Research Associate- Digital Literacy in India Project at Poverty Action Lab

Organization:

J-PAL South Asia

Location:

India

Start Date (Earliest):

10 July 2023

Length of Commitment:

Less than one year

Location: Ludhiana, Punjab

Job Description:

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, which is based at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) 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 Details:

The use of digital technology and social media is becoming increasingly common in developing countries for purposes ranging from entertainment to education, commerce to campaigning. In India, internet penetration has steadily increased over the last few years, making India one of the largest markets for social media platforms. Although social media platforms can generate significant consumer surplus, research shows that their use can also have negative effects on the mental health of young adults and on social and political outcomes. Furthermore, usage can be partly attributed to self-control problems. To address these potential issues, many digital literacy programs on responsible digital media use have been developed and implemented in the past decade, but there has been no rigorous evaluation of their effectiveness. We propose to fill in this gap by evaluating the impact of such a programme educating university students in urban India.

The Principal Investigators on the project are Jalnidh Kaur (Teachers College, Columbia University), Lena Song (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), and Mridul Joshi (Stanford University).

Research Associate Roles and Responsibilities:

The RA will work closely with academic researchers and other field staff to perform a variety tasks including, but not limited to:

• Design, refine, and pilot survey instruments
• Oversee the implementation of the evaluation in accordance to the research design in association with the partner organisations
• Recruit, train, and supervise a team of enumerators
• Supervise data collection and data entry processes
• Build relationships with local stakeholders on field to ensure smooth project implementation
• Assist with data cleaning and preliminary data analysis
• Assist in preparation of documents and presentations for donor reporting as well as dissemination activities
• Report to PIs on all of the above-mentioned activities
• Any other task as assigned by the Research Manager, AD Research or the Executive Director

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s/ Master’s degree in economics, social sciences, mathematics/statistics, public policy, or related fields
• Experience-0-2 years
• Previous experience in development research is preferred (any experience in the education sector in India is beneficial).
• Excellent management and organisational skills along with strong quantitative skills
• Fluency and excellent communication skills in English and Punjabi.
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and team player
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organisations

Note on Work Authorizations: Candidates must have work authorization to work in India. This covers citizens of India, Nepal, or Bhutan, Persons of Indian origin (PIO), and an Overseas Citizens of India (OCI). 

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for a written exam and interview(s)