Economic Policy Analyst - ESU

Position Summary The Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) aims to help state governments strengthen their capacity and public systems to improve governance, service delivery, and the effectiveness of public expenditure.As CEGIS completes its fifth year, we are looking to hire multiple economic policy analysts to join the Economics and Statistics Unit at CEGIS to conduct economic analysis focused on state-level policy issues in India. In this pivotal role, you will help drive analytical work and conduct impactful research on policies and programmes that can boost the effectiveness of thousands of crores of public spending, and thereby improve the translation of public expenditure into development outcomes for millions of people. You will work closely with a diverse team of analysts and economists in close collaboration with senior government officials and with technical guidance and inputs from CEGIS Co-Founder and Scientific Director, Prof. Karthik Muralidharan, as well as other leading economists. As a CEGIS Economic Policy Analyst, you will aid and assist the team in the following activities: (a) conducting original research and technical analysis to evaluate new proposed expenditure items; (b) conducting economic analysis of government policies and programs and evaluating key programs; (c) staying abreast of and synthesising relevant research for answering policy questions; and (d) identifying and liaising with academic and other researchers to obtain expert inputs into policy decisions. This position offers an exciting opportunity to apply your analytical skills and communicate impactful ideas, making a tangible impact on governance and public policy in India. Role and Responsibilities Economic Research and Technical Analysis Conduct comprehensive economic research and analysis on various policy and programmatic issues relevant to state governments. Develop data-driven insights and recommendations to support effective policy implementation and governance reforms. Support CEGIS field projects, including sampling design, data analytical frameworks, and analytical tools. Curate and update datasets (international, national, and state) for rapid analysis. Policy Development and Collaboration Engage with senior government officials to identify research, analysis, and knowledge gaps that can be filled by CEGIS Engage with a range of stakeholders, including government officials, researchers, and think-tanks, to foster effective policy dialogues and knowledge sharing across Indian states, and beyond. Support CEGIS teams and projects in developing and implementing evidence-based policy solutions, providing critical economic insights and analyses. Translate economic research findings into practical policy ideas and reforms that can be presented to state governments for consideration. Knowledge Creation and Dissemination Draft high-quality notes, reports, policy briefs, and academic papers, applying economic concepts and analytical methods effectively. Create and present accessible content to communicate complex economic findings and insights to both academic and non-academic audiences.

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS pronounced See-Jis) aims to improve lives by helping Indian state governments deliver better development outcomes. The four key characteristics of any high-performing organisation are (a) measuring outcomes through reliable, high quality data that enables goal setting and monitoring progress towards these goals; (b) strategic use of personnel competency based hiring and training, skilling, and performance appraisals to determine job assignments, pay, and promotions to achieve the goals above; (c) strategic budgeting where resource allocation is based on evidence and cost-effectiveness; (d) and creating efficient systems to leverage external actors (including for-profit and nonprofit organisations). The Indian State needs to perform better on all four fronts above, by enhancing its capacity. CEGIS partners with states to improve this capacity by focusing on these four pillars of the State. Informed by cutting-edge research and evidence as well as a practical orientation toward implementable ideas, CEGIS works with State Governments in India to enable a transformative improvement in their functioning. This vision and Theory of Change (ToC) is an outcome of extensive research done by Prof. Karthik Muralidharan (CEGIS Co-Founder and Scientific Director) and strategic philanthropic support provided by Mr. Ashish Dhawan (CEGIS Co-Founder).