Research Associate – Immigration Policy

Peace Corps; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 47,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cato Institute is seeking a quantitative Research Associate to join its immigration policy team in Washington, DC. The role focuses on using modern statistical methods to produce empirical analyses and working papers for policy impact.

Responsibilities include data gathering, cleaning, producing figures and tables, and potentially co-authoring policy analyses with team members.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in economics, statistics, data science, or any field that requires strong quantitative skills.
• At least one year of internship or work experience.
• Evidence of strong quantitative research skills and prior original statistical work.
• Experience in econometrics is preferred.
• Familiarity with two or more software packages or programming languages used for data analysis (such as Excel, Stata, R, Python, MATLAB, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Support the immigration team’s research (80-90%) and other departments (10-20%).
• Gather, clean, and format datasets from CPS, ACS, BLS, SIPP, and others.
• Help prepare presentable statistical output as figures and tables.
• Replicate statistical findings from peer-reviewed research, policy analyses, and government reports.
• Potentially co-author policy analyses, working papers, or other empirical work.

Skills

Organizational skills

Accuracy and precision

Writing and editing

Education

Bachelor's in economics/statistics/data science

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Excel

Stata

R

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Unless posted on USAJobs.gov, the positions and organizations linked to here are in no way affiliated with or sanctioned by the Peace Corps or the United States government.The views, positions, and priorities expressed by the posting organizations are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Peace Corps or the Government of the United States.

The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization—a think tank—dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.

Founded in 1977, Cato owes its name to Cato’s Letters, a series of essays published in 18th-century England that presented a vision of a society free from excessive government power. Those essays inspired the architects of the American Revolution. And the simple, timeless principles of that revolution — individual liberty, limited government, and free markets – turn out to be even more powerful in today’s world of global markets and unprecedented access to information than Jefferson or Madison could have imagined. Social and economic freedom is not just the best policy for a free people, it is the indispensable framework for the future.

Duties

The Cato Institute is seeking a quantitative Research Associate to join a team of data-driven researchers working on immigration policy. The Research Associate will be responsible for using modern statistical methods to support the work of Cato’s immigration team in producing original empirical research. This position will help produce original statistical work in multiple formats, ranging from working papers to descriptive statistical work for blog posts, op-eds, research briefs, and policy analyses.

The Research Associate will be an integral part of the immigration team’s workflow and will occasionally co-author pieces with other members of the team. The Research Associate will report to the Associate Director of Immigration Studies and work with policy staff to brainstorm and potentially spearhead new research projects related to immigration.

Responsibilities

• Support the research of the senior members of the immigration team (80-90%) as well as other departments on an as-needed basis (10-20%). Roughly half of the Research Associate’s work will be for short-term day-to-day projects; the other half will be for longer-term projects.
• Gather, clean, and format datasets from numerous sources, such as the Current Population Survey, American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, and others.
• Help prepare presentable statistical output in the form of figures and tables for other members of the Cato team.
• Replicate statistical findings from peer-reviewed academic research, policy analyses, and government reports.
• Potentially co-author policy analyses, working papers, peer-reviewed academic papers, blog posts, and other empirical work with members of the Cato immigration team.

This is a hybrid position in Washington, DC.

The starting salary for the Research Associate position is $52,000.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• A bachelor's in economics, statistics, data science, or any field that requires strong quantitative skills. An advanced degree is preferred.
• At least one year of prior internship or work experience.
• Evidence of strong quantitative research skills and prior original statistical work.
• Experience in econometrics is preferred.
• Familiarity with two or more software packages or programming languages used for data analysis (such as Excel, Stata, R, Python, MATLAB, etc.).
• Familiarity with the latest multiple regression analysis methods and the latest econometric methods, such as synthetic controls, difference-in-differences, and other quasi-experimental methods, is a plus.
• An understanding of and interest in Cato’s libertarian mission and immigration policy.

Skills

• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to work on multiple tasks both independently and as part of a team on a time-sensitive basis.
• A commitment to accuracy and precision.
• Strong writing and editing skills.

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