Senior Research Associate - J-PAL LAC

J-PAL LAC is a non-profit research center that aims to reduce global poverty by generating rigorous scientific evidence to inform social programs and public policies. As part of a global network of leading academics, J-PAL conducts randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to measure the impact of social programs and works closely with policymakers to translate evidence into effective policy design and implementation across multiple sectors and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

J-PAL organizes its work into three main areas:

• Research: We partner with donors to create initiatives that fund research. We also implement RCT from data collection to data analysis.
• Public policy: we summarize the results of the investigation, create alliances, and provide technical assistance to governments.
• Training: We lead the executive training and develop a rigorous online education to build regional knowledge.

The local grounding of J-PAL is essential for its success. The seven regional J-PAL offices are located at leading universities on five continents. In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, J-PAL LAC is headquartered at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC Chile). J-PAL LAC also has a Memoranda of Understanding with Insper for work in Brazil, the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala for work in Central America, and ITAM for work in Mexico.

In 2019, J-PAL founders Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee won the Nobel Prize in Economics "for their experimental approach to alleviating poverty."

Our office

J-PAL LAC is based at UC Chile in Santiago, Chile . In addition to our headquarters, we have staff based in São Paulo, Brazil (at Insper), Guatemala City, Guatemala (at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala – UVG), and Mexico City, Mexico. We support projects across multiple countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

We strive for a collegiate, horizontal, and amicable culture where peers can learn from each other and are not afraid to innovate. The office is led by Executive Director Paula Pedro, originally from Brazil, and Deputy Executive Director Claudia Macías, originally from Mexico. Paula leads the office’s overall strategy and fundraising and has a more external-facing role. Claudia oversees our operations and develops strategic partnerships, especially with Governments.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential to address poverty's complex causes and consequences. To advance our mission, J-PAL LAC must draw on diverse experiences from our staff and affiliated researchers to ask better questions and identify better solutions. We are working to increase the limited representation of individuals from underrepresented economic backgrounds. We are committed to self-reflection, learning, and dialogue to nurture understanding across differences.

Together, we will build an equitable, inclusive culture where everyone is respected, empowered, and heard.

About the team, project, or initiative you would be working with

J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean (J-PAL LAC) works with governments across the region to strengthen a culture of generating and using rigorous evidence in policy making. One of these partnerships is with Guatemala’s Ministry of Social Development (MIDES), where J-PAL LAC and Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) have supported evidence-informed program design and institutional capacity building. Within this collaboration, a central focus is the Beca Artesano program, a flagship MIDES initiative that aims to improve economic opportunities through skills development and productive inclusion.

Through this collaboration, opportunities to strengthen the program and increase its impact were identified. The current project implements a pilot to test and refine proposed improvements before moving to a full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT).

The study is led by researchers from Tilburg University (Netherlands), the University of California, Berkeley (United States), and Universidad de los Andes (Chile), and sits at the intersection of development economics and behavioral economics, with a focus on rural women's entrepreneurship…