Predoctoral Field-Based Research Associate (Two Years) – Democratic Republic of Congo, UC Berkeley

Organization:
Location:
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Predoctoral Field- and Desk-Based Research Associate (Two-Year) – Democratic Republic of Congo and UC Berkeley

 

Overview:

We are looking for qualified applications for the position of Predoctoral Research Associate to work on research projects in development economics and political economy in Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo. This is an opportunity to gain field research experience in development economics and political economy, managing large-scale randomized controlled trials. You will also acquire management and analytical skills in this role. The position will require significant commitment, key responsibilities and long hours in a poor, remote setting.

 

  • This 24-month position will be divided into two 12-month periods with distinct responsibilities.
  • The first period will be fully based in Kananga, DRC and will be focused on managing the field research projects
  • The second period will be shared between remote periods, Kananga-based period and one visiting to UC Berkeley. It will be focused on supervising the field management of the research projects and on desk research-based activities including analysis and contributions to paper
  • The position is targeted for individuals who anticipate applying for PhDs in economics or other quantitative social sciences. Arrangements will be made so the Predoctoral Research Associate has sufficient time for these applications in the second year.

 This 24-month position will be mainly based in Kananga, DRC, and will be divided in two 12-month periods with distinct responsibilities. The first period will be focused on managing the field research projects while the second will be devoted to desk research-based activities, as described below. The position is targeted for individuals who anticipate applying for PhDs in economics or other quantitative social sciences. Arrangements will be made so the Predoctoral Research Associate has sufficient time for these applications in the second year.

 

Project description:

The Research Associate will work on several ongoing research projects, including but not limited to the following topics:

 

The effects of progressive taxation on compliance, revenues, and the social contract. An RCT, in collaboration with the provincial Government and the provincial tax revenue department, will examine how a more progressive property tax system shapes revenue through two key mechanisms: (a) a tighter correspondence between liability and ability to pay, and (b) higher compliance due to improved perceptions of the fairness of the tax system.

 

Responsibilities of the Predoctoral Research Associate:

  • Managing the daily work of a team of French-speaking field enumerators (leading training sessions, enumerators follow-up, survey reports, field and survey equipment preparation, etc.)
  • Management of the field research organization ODEKA
  • Preparing and managing survey instruments with Excel and SurveyCTO
  • Extraction (SurveyCTO) and Cleaning (STATA) survey data collected daily
  • Regular monitoring of project databases to maintain and improve accuracy and consistency of data collection
  • Cooperating with local implementation partners in the government and civil society.
  • Handling communications with local stakeholders and Principal Investigators
  • Preparing frequent progress reports and briefings to keep Principal Investigators informed of developments in the field
  • Performing financial management and accounting tasks including expense tracking, archiving, forecasting, and financial reporting.
  • Assisting Principal Investigators in data analysis and paper reproducibility

Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree in economics or a related field (required)
  • Quantitative skills and experience with Stata (required)
  • Familiarity with randomized evaluations and econometric methods (required)
  • Fluency in French: native speaker or advanced fluency (required)
  • Excellent organizational, and communication skills (required)
  • Experience with Survey CTO (desired)
  • Experience with ArcGIS/QGIS (desired)
  • Experience with R and/or Python (desired)
  • Detail-oriented, able to work independently and take initiative (desired)
  • Experience living in a developing country (desired)

 

Duration: Summer 2025 – Summer 2027.

 

Primary supervisors: Jonathan Weigel (Assistant Professor, Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley)

 

Secondary supervisors: Augustin Bergeron (Harvard University), Marina Mavungu Ngoma (The World Bank Group), Gabriel Tourek (University of Pittsburgh), Dina Pomeranz (University of Zurich), Joana Naritomi (London School of Economics), Samuel Kapon (University of California Berkeley), Binta Zahra Diop (Stanford University), Arthur Laroche (University College London), and other collaborators.

 

 

 

How to Apply

How to Apply: Send a CV and cover letter in English to Manon Bellot ([email protected]) using the subject “Predoctoral Field-Based Research Associate, UC Berkeley”.Send a CV and cover letter in English to Manon Bellot ([email protected]) using the subject “Predoctoral Field-Based Research Associate, UC Berkeley”.