Lab Economist, Zambia Evidence Lab – Lusaka

Position description

The International Growth Centre (IGC) works with policymakers in developing countries to promote inclusive and sustainable growth through path-breaking research.  The IGC combines a set of programme teams across Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East with a network of world-leading researchers backed by a global hub at the London School of Economics in partnership with the University of Oxford. IGC partner countries currently include Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Jordan, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia. The IGC is majority funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

We have a fast-growing engagement with the Government of Zambia to support economic development by producing data, actionable research, strategy, and economic policy advice focusing on natural resource governance, public-sector effectiveness, agriculture, and firm productivity, with a cross-cutting focus on climate adaptation and poverty reduction. Since the engagement’s start in 2021, we have helped inform multiple policy decisions and supported numerous dialogues with key policy stakeholders, helping make data and evidence a more central part of the policy lifecycle. 

To expand our impact and institutionalise the use of evidence in policy, IGC is establishing the Zambia Evidence Lab (ZEL), an innovative collaboration between IGC Zambia and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. ZEL will provide first-of-its-kind analytical expertise within the Zambian government to produce data-driven policy outputs and open pathways to more policy-relevant research in Zambia. 

Reporting to the Head of the ZEL and sitting within the wider IGC Zambia engagement, Lab Economist(s) will provide the principal in-house analytical capacity to the Lab, which will include a team of government officials, economists, data scientists, and operational experts driven by a strong purpose to improve how data is used in making policy decisions. The Lab Economist(s) will produce a range of demand-driven data-led policy outputs (including cost-benefit, econometric, policy diagnostic, data illustrations, and live data dashboards) while opening space for longer-term co-generated research projects which leverage IGC’s global network of academics. They will also be an active part of the broader peer group of IGC economists in Zambia, which includes several Country Economists and Research Associates.

The successful candidate will have a combination of the following experiences and qualifications:

·       Master’s level degree in economics, econometrics, or a related applied field.

·       Demonstrated understanding of policy-relevant research (particularly using observational research designs) and strong expertise in quantitative analysis.

·       Significant experience with Stata or R. 

·       Strong evidence of initiative and problem-solving skills.

Application instructions

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