Funding Opportunities:

CEGA: Request for Proposals | WGAPE 2021 Small Research Grants (Dec 17)
Details: The Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE), managed by CEGA, brings together faculty and advanced graduate students in Economics and Political Science who combine field research experience in Africa with training in political economy methods. It is co-led by Daniel Posner (UCLA), Edward Miguel (UC Berkeley), Amanda Lea Robinson (Ohio State University), and Amma Panin (University of Louvain).

With generous funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, WGAPE is pleased to announce a Small Grant Program for junior African researchers to explore a question of interest in African political economy. Successful applicants will receive around $9,000 in support, and will be matched with a senior researcher from the WGAPE organizers or executive committee, who will provide feedback and general guidance on the project. The lead investigator of each successful project will present their research design during the 2022 WGAPE Annual Meeting, held in July 2022, and will present their working paper at the 2023 WGAPE Annual Meeting.

Deadline: Dec 17, 2021

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Grand Challenges | The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Jan 13)
Details: Grand Challenges initiatives use challenges to focus attention and effort on specific health and development problems. Grand Challenges initiatives launch challenges as open requests for grant proposals, refining the process of sourcing innovation over time. Each challenge is an experiment in focusing innovation on making an impact. Each addresses some of the same problems, but from differing perspectives. Each builds a grant program that fosters collaboration across projects to speed impact.

Deadline: Jan 13, 2022

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Request for Proposals: Informality, Tax, and the State | International Centre for Tax and Development (Rolling)

Details: While international donors and policymakers have increasingly paid attention to the role of taxation in sustainable development, our understanding of taxation has largely been limited to thinking about formal taxes, sectors, and institutions. The ICTD’s research programme on Informality, Tax, and the State seeks to support research on the relationship between informality and taxation. Informal forms of revenue raising, informal institutions, and expanding attempts at taxing the so-called informal economy—albeit separate areas of study—are all critical to our understanding of how the majority of citizens engage with taxation and the state in low-income countries. Furthermore, they have significant implications for equity, while being deeply intertwined with questions of power, accountability, and governance.

We are seeking research proposals that explore these key ideas, focusing specifically on research on (1) informal taxation and revenue generation and (2) taxation of the informal economy.

Deadline: Rolling

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Inclusion Fellowship: Capstone Research Programme | BRAC (Rolling)

Details: BRAC Social Innovation Lab’s "Inclusion Fellowship: Capstone Research Programme 2021" is an opportunity for current students and early-career researchers to design studies and experiments to understand the existing gaps in different areas of DFS to recommend a pathway from practice to policy at the end of the study.

The Fellowship will provide the mechanism for aiding clients to keep using DFS tools such as mobile money. Factors leading to growing gaps in lower-income communities should be taken into account when making policy recommendations. Fellows will be expected to build on pre-existing academic and in-practice research and evidence in the field of financial inclusion and gender equality, and provide additional insights or evidence on ways to strengthen women’s financial inclusion further.

Deadline: Rolling

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Request for Proposals | The Fund for Innovation in Development (FID) (Rolling)

Details: The Fund for Innovation in Development (FID) is a new initiative to support innovation that contributes to reducing global poverty and inequality. Through flexible grant funding, FID enables innovators and researchers to test new ideas, build rigorous evidence of what works, and scale the highest-impact and most cost- effective solutions.

Innovation is central to accelerating a more just and inclusive world. FID embodies this idea by offering a renewed approach to development assistance, providing grant funding to test new ideas, experiment and demonstrate – based on rigorous evaluation methods – what works in development, and scale the most efficient solutions with the greatest positive impact.

FID accepts applications:

for innovations in any sector, and specifically encourages applications for solutions in education, health, climate change, and gender equality
for innovations in all low- and middle-income countries, and specifically encourages applications from the priority countries for French aid
from nearly any type of applicant, including researchers, governments, NGOs and for-profit companies.

Deadline: Rolling Until Filled

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Request for Proposals | Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) at USAID (Rolling)
Details: Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) provides grant funding to innovators and researchers to test new ideas, take strategic risks, build evidence of what works, and advance the best solutions.

DIV’s tiered-funding model embraces risk at early stages and mitigates risk at later stages, ensuring that funding is targeted to the most cost-effective innovations that can improve people’s lives. DIV takes a broad approach to innovation; innovations can be business models, products, behavioral interventions, applied research, or replications of proven innovations in novel environments.

DIV accepts applications on a rolling basis. Our window is always open, so you can submit your application at any time.

Deadline: Rolling

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Events:

J-PAL | Reshaping Gender Attitudes to Promote Gender Equality and Women Empowerment: What Can We Learn from the Evidence? (Nov 19)
Details: Gender norms and biases continue to constrain human potential around the world. Like in many countries, the role of women and girls in Indonesia are reinforced through both formal and informal institutions, and perpetuated by the social norms on gender that disadvantage them. Historically, gender norms have put barriers for women and girls in receiving education, accessing health care, participating in the labor force, and having full autonomy over key life decisions like marriage and childbirth. While Indonesia has made some significant progress to address gender inequality, the gender gap remains. Improving gender awareness and reshaping gender attitudes are important steps to changing long-held norms towards gender and ultimately closing the gender gap in Indonesia.

This webinar will feature a conversation between H.E. I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection of the Republic of Indonesia (tbc), and Seema Jayachandran, Professor of Economics from Northwestern University and J-PAL Chair on Gender Sector, on useful insights from the Government of Indonesia’s policy and programs that promote gender equality and discuss learnings from evidence related to women empowerment around the world.

Learn more and register here.

The World Bank | The Economics of COVID-19 in Developing East Asia Pacific: an Introductory Course (Nov 23-24)
Details: The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the global economy and the development prospects of East Asia and the Pacific countries. Many changes will be durable and all consequences are not yet clear. The East Asia & Pacific Chief Economist Office Research Center in Kuala Lumpur presents a course that will cover conceptual and empirical analysis that is accessible to economics students, economists, researchers, and others with an interest in the field. The objective is to help understand what has happened over the past two years, why, what to expect and what can be done. This 2 hour course will introduce the conceptual and empiricalanalysis of key economic and policy issues. Topics include economy wide impact, firms and technology, households, and globalization.

Learn more and register here.

The World Bank | Climate Change and Labor Reallocation: Evidence from Six Decades of the Indian Census (Nov 25)
Details: How do rising temperatures affect long-term labor reallocation in developing economies? In this paper, we examine how increases in temperature impact structural transformation and urbanization within Indian districts between 1951 and 2011. We find that rising temperatures are associated with lower shares of workers in non-agriculture, with effects intensifying over a longer time frame. Supporting evidence suggests that local demand effects play an important role: declining agricultural productivity under higher temperatures reduces the demand for non-agricultural goods and services, which subsequently lowers nonagricultural labor demand. Results illustrate that rising temperatures limit sectoral and rural-urban mobility for isolated households.

Learn more and register here.

Innovations for Poverty Action | Remittance Flows and the COVID-19 Pandemic (Dec 8)
Details: Despite predictions, remittance flows declined only slightly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In regions like Latin America and South Asia, remittance flows actually increased by 6.5% and 5.2%, respectively, despite high rates of global unemployment. Data from an IPA study in Nicaragua finds that formal remittances increased about 25% in the months following lockdown. This global rise in formal remittances could be attributed to a shift from informal remittance flows to formal and digital channels, the latter of which is easier to track; more liquidity from social protection programs; or an increase in altruism. In this webinar, Dr. Elizaveta Perova and Dr. Alejandro de la Fuente (World Bank) provide insights from Nicaragua on the drivers of this increase in remittances and its implications for the welfare of recipient households. They are joined by Dr. Robin Gravesteijn and Dr. Azar Sultanov (UNCDF) to discuss the broader evidence on financial inclusion impacts associated with the digitization of remittances. The webinar will be moderated by Tanvi Jaluka (IPA).

Learn more and register here.

Innovations for Poverty Action | Pay Me Later: How the Timing of Wage Payments Impacts Worker Financial Health (Dec 9)
Details: A new IPA study from Malawi finds that allowing workers to defer receiving part of their wages significantly increases savings. Working with a large agricultural employer, researchers Lasse Brune, Jason Kerwin, and Eric Chyn find that deferred wage payments may help address self-control issues that could normally inhibit savings. A growing body of evidence suggests that changing the timing (smaller, more frequent payments versus larger, spread-out payments), and disbursement method of wage payments, has important impacts on financial health. Deferred wages may be an effective savings device for some, while others may require more frequent smaller payments to manage consumption needs. Moreover, digital payments allow employers to automate savings and make other customizations, at low or no cost to employers, and with potentially large benefits to the employees. This webinar also explores: how does the evidence on digital wage payments inform the broader discussion on designing effective digital cash transfers?

Learn more and register here.

Career Opportunities:

CEGA: Hiring Part-time Full Stack Developer, Social Science Prediction Platform (Rolling)
Details: The Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS)–managed by CEGA–is seeking a part-time full-stack engineer, as soon as possible, for the remainder of Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. This role would be a part of the Social Science Prediction Platform team at UC Berkeley, led by principal investigators Stefano DellaVigna (UC Berkeley) and Eva Vivalt (University of Toronto). We are looking to hire a computer scientist with web development experience to make updates to the Social Science Prediction Platform (SSPP). The SSPP facilitates the collection and cataloging of forecasts of research results. It uses the Qualtrics API to integrate surveys programmed in Qualtrics on the SSPP interface and a relational database to connect survey responses to project objects and user data such as contact information, demographics, and preferences.

Deadline: Rolling until filled

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

CEGA: Hiring Associate Director, Communications and Policy Engagement (Rolling)
Details: CEGA seeks a creative, ambitious, and mission-driven communications professional to develop and implement a new communications and policy engagement strategy for CEGA. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Associate Director of Communications and Policy Engagement will work closely with CEGA leadership (especially the Director of Operations), program staff, faculty, and partners to increase CEGA’s sustainability and impact by developing and disseminating high-quality content for priority audiences and collaborating with them to proactively position and time communications. The Associate Director should be familiar with CEGA audiences, including policymakers, researchers, and the media, constantly leveraging and updating insights about each to design savvy communications and events. They will further enhance the center’s digital communications platforms—including our website, blog, and social media channels—to ensure a cohesive narrative, timely and meaningful commentary, and clear internal processes.

The Associate Director of Communications and Policy Engagement will ensure that communications, events, and policy engagement efforts across the center align with core organizational goals. Strong collaborative skills are key; success in this position will require forming deep working partnerships with CEGA staff, affiliated faculty, grantees, LMIC partners and policy-makers, and consultants. The Associate Director of Communications and Policy Engagement will oversee a small team, including an Events and Communications Associate, consultants, and interns.

Deadline: Rolling until filled

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Research Assistant, International Growth Center (Dec 1)
Details: The Research Assistant for a project on rural electrification in Sierra Leone will work under the PIs: Niccolo Meriggi (IGC), Mushfiq Mobarak (Yale University) and Maarten Voors (Wageningen University). The position oversees and manages the field operations in country including data collection, implementing treatments, liaison with partners, report writing and data analysis. The position will give the Research Assistant excellent field experience and is a perfect stepping stone for those seeking to pursue a Ph.D. Applicants should have a Bachelor or Master (preferred) degree in economics or a social science field.

Deadline: Dec 1, 2021

Apply: To apply, contact sl.minigridsevaluation@gmail.com.

Fellow, Office of Evaluation Studies (Jan 3)
Details: The Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) is an interdisciplinary team that works across the federal government to help agencies answer top priority questions. We design and conduct evaluations of existing programs and evidence-based program changes. We use rigorous evaluation methods and administrative data to build and use evidence and learn what works. To date, we have completed over 85 impact evaluations with over 20 federal agency collaborators. Our portfolio has spanned priority areas such as improving public health outcomes, increasing educational opportunity, promoting equity and economic recovery, and increasing access to benefits. Fellows and Associate Fellows work on ongoing portfolios and build out additional evaluations in line with agency priorities. The next cohort Fellows will begin full-time positions in Fall 2022 via an Intergovernmental Personnel Act agreement. All fellowship positions will be remote and location flexible within the United States. Fellows will serve at least a one year term, with availability to serve additional years preferred.

Deadline: Jan 3, 2022

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Research Associate, J-PAL MENA (Rolling)
Details: The Research Associate will work on 1-2 randomized control trials led by J-PAL affiliated professors and their collaborators. They will assist with field research in the areas of data collection, data security, data analysis, and logistical support, in addition to supervision of contracted field survey staff. For specific research project(s), with supervision from the Research Manager and technical direction from a team of PIs including a J-PAL affiliated professor, the Associate will work with data sets, oversee field activities, assist with literature reviews, and provide logistical and general support.

Deadline: Rolling

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy (Rolling)
Details: The Center for Information Technology Policy Fellows Program offers scholars and practitioners from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to join the Center’s community. The goals of this fully-funded, in-residence program are to support people doing important research and policy engagement related to the Center’s mission and to enrich the Center’s intellectual life. Fellows typically will conduct research with members of the Center’s community and engage in the Center’s public programs. The Fellows Program provides freedom to pursue projects of interest and a stimulating intellectual environment. There are three tracks to the fellows program: the postdoctoral track, the visiting professional track, and the Microsoft Visiting Professor track. In this application cycle, we especially welcome applicants with interests in: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science, Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Cryptography.

Deadline: Rolling

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Impact Associate, African Leadership Group (Rolling)
Details: ALG is an ecosystem of institutions focused on transforming Africa and the world by developing and connecting a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders. The Impact team designs impact measurement frameworks, oversees short and long-term studies, coordinates the collection of impact data, and analyzes results to produce insights to share across the Group and with our major partners such as the Mastercard Foundation.

ALG is recruiting two impact associates as part of the Impact team at the African Leadership Group. We are looking for intellectually curious, passionate individuals who know how to identify, analyse, and interpret trends in complex data sets, and who are excited about finding new ways to evaluate our impact across our diverse array of educational programs. Candidates with strong data visualization, analysis, & communication skills are an ideal fit.

Deadline: Rolling

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Research Manager, Good Business Lab (Rolling)
Details: Good Business Lab is an independent, non-profit labor innovation lab that uses rigorous research methods to design, develop, and test scalable, market-ready interventions capable of providing dual benefits to workers and businesses. To ensure the smooth implementation of all projects, we are looking for a Research Manager. Projects include looking at the migration experience and mental health of workers and how this is affected by pairing them with experienced workers from their region (through a novel ‘buddy system’), how volunteering helps develop soft skills that affect employment outcomes among college students, unlocking female labor through rural training centers, and how an effective grievance redressal system for workers affects their job outcomes.

Deadline: Rolling

Apply: Learn more and apply here.

Opportunities Digest

Nov 18, 2021

Spotlight:

Funding Opportunities:

Events: