Reduce knowledge gaps to better address poverty, inequality, lack of economic growth, and climate change in LAC RG-T4408

Post of Duty: HQ Washington DC

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.

About This Position:

You will work in the Front Office of the Vice Presidency of Sectors and Knowledge (VPS/VPS). This team contributes to make the IDB a premier development institution in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our central mission is to enhance the quality and relevance of knowledge and financial products and services that the IDB provides to agents in borrowing countries.  VPS operates in a context of increased transparency and accountability and incorporates continuous learning, training, innovation, research, and critical thinking in all its activities, loan and technical assistance preparation and supervision, policy dialogue, analytical work, research, training, and capacity building.

Many priority knowledge gaps that our client countries confront and that are reflected in the IDB's own institutional priorities are difficult and/or costly to close without access to the administrative data that the countries themselves maintain. These gaps touch all of the most significant challenges of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, including poverty and vulnerability, inequality, lack of sustained economic growth, and exposure to climate shocks.  However, the countries themselves are often unable to manage and analyze these data to close knowledge gaps, while IDB efforts to assist are impeded by lack of access to these data. The objective of this technical cooperation (TC) is to help countries gather, curate, and publish administrative data and to facilitate the analysis of these data to provide rigorous answers to the priority questions related to the objectives of the institutional strategy.

The consultancy will conduct work to close one of those knowledge gaps using a combination of survey and administrative data. The consultancy will focus on understanding what are the adaptation strategies of populations that have been exposed to a battery of shocks. First, it will first characterize households’ exposure to both covariate risks—-such as the increasing frequency of severe weather events—-and idiosyncratic risks, including accidents affecting health or personal assets, job loss, or crime and violence.  Second, using survey and administrative data the consultancy will explore the different margins of adjustment through which households respond to these adverse shocks. The type of response after an unexpected downturn can range from the sale of assets and reduced consumption, to changes in labor supply, business closures, or migration. Each of these responses entails varying costs and can have more enduring consequences in the long term.

What you’ll do:

The consultancy will evaluate the effectiveness of these different response strategies in mitigating economic losses. While the occurrence of adverse shocks is bound to entail some level of adjustment in the short term, the ability of households to manage these changes without having to compromise their long-term economic well-being is crucial for permanently overcoming poverty. Knowing what type of shocks induce specific responses, understanding which strategies are most (and least) useful to withstand downturns, and being able to differentiate how these factors vary across different contexts and types of households are all key inputs for the correct design of policy.

The micro-level analysis will primarily rely on longitudinal household surveys from various countries in the region, such as the Encuesta Longitudinal Colombiana (ELCA), or the Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS) as well as administrative data sets (such as PlLA, RIPS and SISBEN in Colombia and IMSS in Mexico). Given their capacity to track the same set of households at different points of time over relatively long periods, these surveys provide rich micro-level information on i) baseline household characteristics, ii) the onset of different kinds of unforeseen shocks, and iii) the consequences and responses to those shocks on several different economic dimensions. These datasets will be complemented with national-level labor surveys and population censuses that will further allow to understand how market-level outcomes also shape the different ways in which households cope with uncertainty and respond to shocks.

Activities required under this consultancy will focus mainly on:

1. Identify, compile, and organize databases.
2. Prepare data and conduct econometric analysis in support of evaluation and research.
3. Prepare background studies, literature reviews, and other research support activities.
4. Provide methodological, statistical, and econometric support.
5. Support eventual data collection activities, if needed, including preparations of questionnaires, manuals, field work, and other tasks as required.
6. Contribute to the preparation of presentations for seminars and workshops.
7. Participate in missions, as required.
8. Maintain an active participation in VPS’ research agenda and participate in academic discussions on research findings.

What you’ll need:

• Education/Specialization: Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD preferred) in Economics, Public Policy, Data Science, Business Administration, Statistics, or a related field
• Experience/Level: Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience in Research.
• Languages: Proficiency in Spanish and English (oral and written) is required. Knowledge of French and Portuguese is preferred.
• Software: R, Stata, MATLAB

Contract Type & Duration:

• Contract Type: CNS
• Duration: 12.5 months.
• Work Location: on site
• Desired Start Date: October 1st 2025

What we offer

The IDB group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employee’s life. These benefits include:

• A competitive compensation packages.
• Leaves and vacations: 2 days per month of contract + gender- neutral parental leave.
• Health Insurance: the IDB Group provides a monthly allowance for the purchase of health insurance.
• Savings plan: The IDB Group cares about your future, depending on the length of the contract, you will receive a monthly savings plan allowance.
• We offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your family when it applies.
• Hybrid and flexible work schedules.
• Development support: We offer learning opportunities to boost your professional profile such as seminars, 1:1 professional counseling, and much more.
• Health and wellbeing:  Access to our Health Services Center which provides preventive care and health education for all employees.
• Other perks: Lactation Room, Daycare Center, Gym, Bike Racks, Parking, and others. 

Our culture

At the IDB Group we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try new approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are at the center of our organization. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and encourage women, LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job interview process. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at diversity@iadb.org  to request reasonable accommodation to complete this application