Public Policy and Research Intern – IDEE / J-PAL Europe

Organization: J-PAL Europe

Location: France

Academic Level: Master

Earliest Start Date: February 24, 2025

Required Languages: French (and English)

Internship Duration: 6 months

About the Programme

The Innovations, Data, and Experiments in Education (IDEE) programme is seeking a Public Policy and Research Intern. IDEE is an eight-year (2021-2029) programme implemented in partnership with the statistical department of the French Ministry of National Education (DEPP). Its mission is to develop an infrastructure for experimental research on education in France and to promote evidence use in this field.

Led by J-PAL Europe at the Paris School of Economics and coordinated by Université Paris Sciences & Lettres, IDEE collaborates closely with the statistical department of the French Ministry of Education. It also brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers and labs from economics, sociology, psychology, educational sciences, and cognitive sciences. 

IDEE is funded by the French government through the National Research Agency (ANR) under the Investments for the Future programme (reference ANR-21-ESRE-0034).

The IDEE programme is structured around three main objectives:

1. Improving access to administrative data: Promote and facilitate researchers’ secure access to administrative data on education in order to reduce data-collection costs and strengthen the impact of research in education.
2. Developing and sharing innovative tools and protocols for experimental research: Purchase, develop, and document innovative measurement instruments, survey tools, resources for analysis, as well as legal and administrative protocols, in order to strengthen the quality and lower the cost of experimenting.
3. Building partnerships and strengthening capacities for experimental research: Facilitate new links between education practitioners, policy makers, and researchers, and build their capacity to launch high-quality experimental research and use evidence in policy and practice.

Internship Details

• Type of Position: Full-time internship, compensated at the minimum legal rate by the École Normale Supérieure.
• Duration: 6 months (start and end dates flexible, but ideally starting in March and ending in August).
• Internship Agreement: You must be able to secure a formal internship agreement (convention de stage) through your university or academic institution.
• Time Off: Interns receive 3 days of leave per month plus all French public holidays.

Main Responsibilities

As a Public Policy and Research Intern, you will be an integral member of the IDEE team and, more broadly, of J-PAL Europe. Working under the supervision of the IDEE Public Policy and Research Associate and the programme managers, you will contribute in the following areas:

1. Supporting the establishment of a group of field experts
2. Stakeholder mapping: Identify and categorize key actors within the French Ministry of Education.
3. Logistics: Help organize the group’s kickoff meeting and potentially future gatherings.

Context: This group will bring together professionals with proven expertise and experience in the education system at various levels. The IDEE team will consult them to gather:

• Feedback on ongoing IDEE initiatives and research projects.
• Insights to ensure the programme meets its objectives effectively.

1. Drafting documents on experimental research in education
2. Guidelines on recruiting study participants: Contribute to the creation of a best practices note on recruiting participants for experimental research projects.
3. Literature review: Help write a new IDEE note. The theme will be selected based on the program’s strategic priorities, and the intern will be involved in the topic selection process.
4. Supporting training activities for education professionals in France
5. Training module content drafting/refining: Tailor existing IDEE training modules to different audiences.
6. Planning: Assist with planning and logistics for training sessions.

Context: These sessions aim to raise awareness among education professionals about impact evaluations and to encourage the use of research findings. More details can be found here.

1. Strategic Monitoring
2. Events and conferences: Identify relevant conferences and events related to experimental research and/or education in France and Europe.
3. Academic articles: Track new, pertinent scientific publications.

Professional Development Opportunities

By the end of this internship, you will have:

• A deeper understanding of experimental research in education in France and key issues surrounding randomized impact evaluations from both policymaker and researcher perspectives.
• Strengthened research, project management, and training skills.
• Access to J-PAL and IDEE online resources and training opportunities, including the J-PAL RCT 101x course, the MOOC L’éducation informée par la recherche : une introduction aux évaluations d’impact, and a course from the MITx MicroMasters in Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP).

Required Qualifications

• Education: Masters degree in Social Sciences, Political Science, Economics, or Education Science.
• Knowledge/Interests: Experimental methods (especially Randomized Controlled Trials), education research, and the French education sector.
• Language Skills: Native-level fluency in French and excellent command of English.
• Other Skills: Research abilities, solid speaking and written communication skills.