Website Poverty Action Lab
Professors Karthik Muralidharan, Paul Niehaus, and Sandip Sukhtankar, Gaurav Chiplunkar and Kartik Srivastava seek a qualified applicant for the position of Research Associate based in India. The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field experience while undertaking cutting-edge development research. The RA will work on multiple research projects under the Payments and Governance Research Program.
Context
India has witnessed major changes in social policy over the last few years. These changes, based on universal bank accounts (Jan Dhan), biometric authentication (Aadhaar), and mobile phones (the “JAM” platform), and ensuing JAM-enabled Direct Benefits Transfers (DBT), have elicited animated debates. Proponents view the shifts as essential to improving anti-poverty programs and efficiently using public finance. The Chief Economic Adviser to the Government describes this as “a quiet revolution of social welfare policy”. Yet critics point out some challenges that could prevent the JAM platform from delivering its full potential, including implementation challenges, subversion by vested interests, exclusion errors, unexpected perverse consequences, and unknown cost-effectiveness.
In this sensitive environment, it is essential to have scientifically rigorous and representative data on the impacts of social policy reforms. The Payments and Governance Research Program works closely with the Government of India and several state governments to design policy reforms for subsidy programs and conduct a series of rigorous impact evaluations. The program aims to introduce global best practices in integrating high-quality research and evidence in policy-making, with real-time data collection on the most topical policy issues and with potential for immediate impact on the lives of hundreds of millions. Besides contributing directly to policy formation, these methods will also help to promote a culture of evidence-based decision-making at the heart of the Indian policymaking process.
The Payments and Governance Research Program is funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and is housed in the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab South Asia at IFMR (J-PAL SA), which is one of six regional J-PAL offices across the world. Globally, J-PAL is headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Requirement Skill Set
Strong preference for a master’s in economics and strong skills in data (STATA is a must and R is also preferred) along with the capacity to keep tabs on multiple aspects of the project at the same time.
Work well under a high-pressure and fast-paced timelines. The scale of the project is one of the largest J-PAL has ever had (>39,000 surveys per month), project would need an exceptional candidate.
Need someone who can take ownership of the project, coordinate with others and take initiatives and be a good team player.
To apply for this job please visit www.povertyactionlab.org.
