ECONOMIST / Sr. ECONOMIST JOB DESCRIPTION
About CEGIS
Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS – pronounced See-Jis) aims to improve lives by helping Indian state governments deliver better development outcomes.
Informed by cutting-edge research and evidence as well as a practical orientation toward implementable ideas, CEGIS works with State Governments in India to enable a transformative improvement in their functioning. The vision and Theory of Change (ToC) reflects extensive research done by Prof. Karthik Muralidharan (CEGIS Co-Founder and Scientific Director) and strategic philanthropic support provided by Mr. Ashish Dhawan (CEGIS Co-Founder).
Prof. Karthik Muralidharan is the Tata Chancellor’s Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego. Based on over two decades of research and policy engagement, his book, Accelerating India’s Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance, systematically analyses India’s governance challenges and provides actionable, evidence-based strategies, emphasizing state-level reforms as critical for India’s advancement.
Ashish Dhawan is a leading Indian philanthropist and the Founder-CEO of The Convergence Foundation (TCF). He is also the Founding Chairperson of Ashoka University and the Central Square Foundation, and is a governing board member of the Gates Foundation. Before his second career as a philanthropist, Ashish was among India’s most successful private equity investors.
CEGIS Approach and Model of Functioning
Our solutions to enhance governance are co-created with state governments in a “state-led” way, where we focus on deep partnerships with states with an iterative cycle of “think-demonstrate-document-transfer”. We work closely with the top bureaucratic leadership, front-line workers and public officials in Finance, Planning, Human Resources and a few other priority line departments.
In alignment with our four principles or pillars of change - outcome measurement, personnel management, strategic public finance, states and markets, CEGIS is currently working with the governments of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, NCT of Delhi, Assam, and a few Government of India entities like the NITI Aayog and Capacity Building Commission (CBC) across a range of projects and sectors. Many of our solutions reflect ideas outlined in Prof. Muralidharan’s book, and these solutions are constantly being refined based on real-time feedback and are designed to both be customized to the contexts we are working in, and to create templates that can provide the starting point for replication across contexts.
To further explore the mission of CEGIS and the impact we hope to have, please take a look at this video of our CEO, Dr Vijay Pingale.
The Position: Economist/Sr. Economist
As the demand for CEGIS’s offerings is growing, we are looking to hire multiple Ph.D. holding economists to join the “Economics and Statistics Unit” (ESU) at CEGIS to conduct economic analysis focused on state-level policy issues in India. In this pivotal role, you will be at the forefront of driving analytical work and conducting impactful research on policies and programmes that can boost the effectiveness of thousands of crores of public spending, and thereby improve the translation of public expenditure into development outcomes for millions of people.
You will work closely with a diverse team of analysts and economists in close collaboration with senior government officials and with technical guidance and inputs from CEGIS Co-Founder and Scientific Director, Prof. Karthik Muralidharan (and other faculty members as appropriate).
As a CEGIS Economist, key responsibilities will include (but not be limited to): (a) conducting original research and technical analysis to evaluate new proposed expenditure items; (b) conducting economic analysis of government policies and programs and evaluating key programs; (c) staying abreast of and summarizing relevant research for answering policy questions; (d) knowing and understanding major datasets on the Indian economy, and helping to merge and manage these datasets to enable rapid policy-relevant analysis, (e) identifying and liaising with academic and other researchers to obtain expert inputs into policy decisions, and (f) mentoring and coaching teams of analysts with undergraduate and master’s degrees. This position offers an exciting opportunity to apply your analytical skills and communicate impactful ideas, making a tangible impact on governance and public policy in India.
Role and Responsibilities
o Economic Research and Technical Analysis
- Conduct comprehensive economic research and analysis on various policy and programmatic issues relevant to state governments.
- Review and synthesize existing literature to inform policy development and strategic decision-making, especially in topics related to improving value for money in public spending.
- Develop data-driven insights and recommendations to support effective policy implementation and governance reforms.
- Provide technical leadership and inputs to CEGIS field projects, including sampling design, data analytical frameworks, and analytical tools.
- Coordinate internal reviews, offer substantive advice on economic rationale and quality of economic analysis in CEGIS’s strategies, programs, and projects.
- Curate and update datasets (international, national, and state) for rapid analysis.
o Policy Development and Collaboration
- Engage with senior government officials to identify research, analysis, and knowledge gaps that can be filled by CEGIS
- Engage with a range of stakeholders, including government officials, researchers, and think-tanks, to foster effective policy dialogues and knowledge sharing across Indian states, and beyond.
- Support CEGIS teams and projects in developing and implementing evidence-based policy solutions, providing critical economic insights and analyses.
- Translate economic research findings into practical policy ideas and reforms that can be presented to state governments for consideration.
o Knowledge Creation and Dissemination
- Draft high-quality notes, reports, policy briefs, and academic papers, applying economic concepts and analytical methods effectively.
- Create and present accessible content to communicate complex economic findings and insights to both academic and non-academic audiences.
- Serve as a liaison between CEGIS projects and external academic and technical experts, ensuring the relevance and rigor of economic analysis.
- Contribute to and oversee the production, quality control, and dissemination of diverse knowledge outputs, including academic publications.
- Engage with media, public forums, and academic conferences to promote discourse on key economic issues and share CEGIS’s research contributions.
Education
- Ph.D. in Economics, Public Policy, Applied Statistics/Data Science, or a related field is strongly preferred. (0-5 years’ experience will be considered for an Economist position and 5-10 years would be evaluated for a Sr Economist position)
Experience
- Experience in applied research and policy at any level, with a focus on public finance, budget analysis, and program-level analysis.
- Proficiency in data science and experience working with large datasets is an asset.
- Familiarity with major research datasets covering India and experience in compiling and using complex datasets.
- Strong writing and communication skills in English; fluency in other Indian languages, especially Hindi, is a plus.
- Capability in preparing high-quality policy briefs, research papers, and notes.
- Exposure to project design and implementation, particularly in collaboration with government officials or large-scale projects, is advantageous.
- Demonstrated interest in government functioning improvement and using research and evidence to inform policy.
Personal Characteristics and Desired Qualities
- Strong quantitative, analytical, and conceptual skills in economics.
- Creative thinking, willingness to experiment with new ideas, and ability to translate ideas into action plans and execute them.
- Intellectual curiosity and commitment to continuous learning.
- Passion for working with governments to enhance state effectiveness.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders and build consensus.
- Excellent people management skills and ability to motivate and lead teams.
- Adaptability to work independently and as part of a small, dynamic team.
Location and Compensation
This role will be based out of Delhi/Chennai/Hyderabad/Bengaluru/Mumbai/Raipur/Lucknow. Remuneration will be highly competitive with Indian academic, and think tank pay scales and will depend on the candidate’s experience levels.
Apply Now
- Although we will accept rolling applications, candidates are requested to apply by January 12, 2025 (11:59pm EST) for full consideration. As part of your application, please include a CV, links to your best pieces of research, and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and in policy-relevant research more generally.
- Candidates shortlisted during the initial round of screening will be informed by the middle of January 2025.
- Shortlisted candidates will be requested to participate in a virtual information session, led by Professor Karthik Muralidharan. During this session, candidates will be provided with additional details regarding the role, including its pivotal role in CEGIS’s long-term vision.
- Candidates who wish to pursue the process will then be given a written assignment, which will have to be turned in within two weeks.
- Candidates shortlisted after the written assignment round will be invited for virtual interviews with the CEGIS team, and Professor Karthik Muralidharan.
- We expect to make first round of offers by the middle of February 2025.
To learn more about CEGIS, please (1) review the CEGIS website: https://www.cegis.org/ ; (2) Prof. Karthik Muralidharan's podcast episodes (one each on education , healthcare, public finance, bureaucracy and federalism/state capacity in India), and his webpage; (3) read his recent book “Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance”.