Center for Global Development

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Center for Global Development (CGD) in Washington, DC is now accepting applications for its Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship program. The Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship is a one-year term appointment running from mid-2023 to mid-2024, with the precise dates flexible. The position is intended for new graduates or very recent graduates of PhD programs in the social sciences. CGD is an independent, non-partisan, Washington, DC think tank dedicated to reducing global poverty and inequality through policy-oriented research and active engagement on development issues with the policy community and the public.

CGD studies the policies of the US and other industrialized countries that affect development prospects in poor countries. The Center aims to provide young scholars an opportunity to apply their research skills in an active policy environment, collaborating with a world-renowned research staff of economists and political scientists and taking advantage of the research support of CGD research assistants. Staff work with policymakers seeking rigorous and independent advice on development-related issues. We have extensive links to top development researchers all over the world. Our previous postdocs have subsequently gone on to tenure track appointments at Stanford, U.N.C. Chapel Hill, Yale, Tufts, N.Y.U., U.C. San Diego, the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, University of Pittsburgh, and U.C. Davis. For more information about our former postdocs, please visit http://www.cgdev.org/page/postdoc.

For the 2023-24 academic year, we are seeking two (2) post-docs to work on either of two potential research projects in collaboration with CGD researchers. The expectation is that candidates would devote roughly 60% of their time during the academic year to joint projects, with the other 40% free to pursue independent work.

1. Work with CGD Senior Fellow Kehinde Ajayi and colleagues on research related to women’s economic empowerment and gender equality. Potential projects include: 1) evaluating the impacts of social safety net programs on intra household gender dynamics and women’s economic empowerment, 2) examining women’s leadership at international financial institutions, and 3) estimating demand for childcare by parents and other caregivers in low-income settings.

2. Work with CGD Senior Fellow Charles Kenny on a project looking at the impact of demographic and structural change on global trade and migration, using historical estimates to provide a model for forecasting. We are in a period of dramatically declining, frequently negative, labor force growth in most high and upper middle income countries at a time when services account for more than two thirds of global consumption and that share is rising. Because services remain considerably less tradeable than goods, global trade may be at a peak. This combination of factors suggests the potential for considerably growing demand for immigration in rich countries. The proposed research would calibrate a model incorporating demographic, structural factors and trade using historical data to make forecasts regarding the international demand for labor.

Interested applicants should submit a CV, job market paper, and cover letter. Applications that do not include all three items will not be considered. Your cover letter should describe in some detail the research you would pursue during a year at CGD and signal your willingness to move to Washington for one year (an important selection criterion).

We also strongly encourage you to submit a letter of recommendation from your adviser, which will do much to support your application, but this is not required. After submitting your application online, candidates will receive an email with a link to submit a recommendation letter. This link can be shared directly with your adviser, if you choose.

This position will be required to work primarily in-person, with some flexibility for partial/occasional remote work. CGD is registered to employ staff living in DC, Maryland, Virginia. Candidates must be in one of these jurisdictions by the start date to be eligible. In compliance with United States federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document upon hire. CGD will sponsor United States work authorization for this position. Any offer of employment requiring sponsored work authorization is contingent on CGD and the candidate’s ability to successfully petition for and secure the necessary work visa(s).

CGD celebrates fostering a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive work environment. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, parental status, or veteran status. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons. However, we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented or historically marginalized groups. All appointments will be made on merit of skill and experience relative to the role.