Research Associate – Promoting Regular Labor Supply – J-PAL South Asia

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) was established in 2003 as a research center at the Economics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, it has grown into a global network of researchers who conduct randomized evaluations to test and improve the effectiveness of programs and policies aimed at reducing poverty. Our mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. We do this through research, policy outreach, and training across seven regional offices worldwide.

Education: Bachelor’s Master’s
Start Date (Earliest): 1 April 2022
Language Requirement: English, Tamil
Length of Commitment: None

Project Description

Labor turnover and low labor supply is a major impediment to productivity in poor countries. While the research focused on this policy concern has typically studied the role of labor demand, in this study, we explore the role of limited labor supply in this market. We hypothesize that workers–who are used to the irregular, flexible, and intermittent work schedules associated with agriculture and casual work–have difficulty providing regular labor supply in the formal sector because they lack the habit of doing so.

To study labor supply, we focus on casual daily laborers in India who often gather in “labor stands” — public spaces where employers also congregate to find workers. Attendance at the stand provides a clear measure of labor supply. We will test whether temporary financial incentives to attend the stand can generate a habit of more regular labor supply, leading to greater attendance even after incentives are removed. However, persistence in this behavior change could not only be driven by habit formation, but also increased demand for –now more reliable– labor. Additional experimental activities will be conducted to parse whether changes in labor supply are driven by:

(i) supply side adjustments (i.e. habit formation),

(ii) demand increases responding to the more regular labor supply (e.g. improved matching, development of firm-specific human capital), or

(iii) both — creating a virtuous cycle.

This RCT will enroll casual laborers at spot labor markets for construction work to test whether temporary financial incentives can help workers develop the habit of regular labor supply. Treated workers are provided incentives with the goal of boosting their labor supply in urban labor stands — their primary source of regular employment — over a four-month period. The study will take place across labor stands in Chennai. The project is led by Heather Schofield, Supreet Kaur, Yogita Shamdasani and Luisa Cefala.

Roles and Responsibilities:  

Research responsibilities

• Adapt/modify existing survey instruments and/or create new instruments depending on discussions with PIs on research design.
• Run pilots to refine the instrument to increase the efficiency of the instrument

Manage set-up and data collection across the predetermined study sites.

Ensure adherence to the timelines for data collection as discussed with PIs and monitor enumerator productivity closely. Flag any issues immediately to the PIs and J-PAL SA management without time lags.

• Manage implementation of the intervention . This would involve close coordination with the A & F team on finances, identifying, and overseeing the field team for implementing random audits to monitor the process.

Data management

• Ensure timely upload of data collected from tablets to server, perform initial cleaning, and share de-identified data with PIs on a frequent basis. ·Run data diagnostics to identify any issues in data collected, inform PIs, and identify ways to improve data collection practices to minimize errors.
• Perform data cleaning (labeling, creating final variables for analysis, etc.) to prepare datasets for analysis.
• Conduct preliminary analysis and provide insights on the implementation and the impact of the intervention

Admin responsibilities

• Coordinate and develop research protocols, field and ethic protocols, including working with different IRBs for timely approvals of original applications, amendments, and continuing review.
• Managing teams: Recruit, train, and supervise field-based data collection teams including research assistant(s), field managers, survey supervisors, enumerators, and other staff.
• Assist with creating project documentation for donor and other reporting purposes.

Desired Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, social sciences, public policy, or related fields.
• Fluency and excellent communication skills in English and Tamil are required.
  1-2 years of research experience in development research is preferred.
• Excellent management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and team player
• Knowledge of Stata or other data analysis software is required.
• Familiarity with randomized controlled trials preferred.
• Ability to deal with unstructured and changing environments.

Note on Work Authorizations:

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.

How to Apply
Complete the application. After completing a brief registration; choose the Research job category, then select Research Associate- Promoting Regular Labor Supply- J-PAL South Asia. Applications require you to include two letters of recommendation, statement of purpose (cover letter), CV, and transcripts. Note that you are able to submit your application without the recommendation letters.

Please also send an email to Rakesh Pandey(rakesh.pandey@ifmr.ac.in), Vasanthi Subramonia Pillai (vasanthi.pillai@ifmr.ac.in), Luisa Cefala (luisa.cefala@berkeley.edu) and Divya Manoj Goel (dgoel@povertyactionlab.org) copying jpalsajobs@povertyactionlab.org with your CV following these instructions exactly:

In the subject line, put your full name, first (given) name followed by last (family) name.

Attachments: Please attach ONLY your CV and cover letter.

In the email body, copy exactly the following position line: JPAL South Asia, Research Associate Promoting Regular Labor Supply.

Please do not include any text besides the position line(s) in the body of the e-mail. Adding extra text will interfere with the processing of your application.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.