Closing date for applications: June 15, 2021
The ICTD has launched DIGITAX, a three-year research programme funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that aims to explore the intersections between tax systems and the expansion of digital financial services (DFS). It aims to support governments in (i) designing appropriate and effective taxation of DFS and DFS providers, and (ii) harnessing the potential for DFS and digital IDs to strengthen tax administration. The programme is now hiring a researcher on a consultancy basis.
Term
Start date: 01/07/2021
End date: 30/06/2022
The Role
The researcher will support the team in producing a series of background papers that represent the foundations for DIGITAX research. The researcher will be asked to:
- Conduct a systematic literature review
- Carry out desktop research on specific topics
- Undertake data cleaning and analysis, both on survey and administrative tax data
- Synthesise insights and drafting reports in Word, LaTex or PPT and, depending on the level and quality of contributions, co-author academic papers
- Participate in team working sessions and meetings with stakeholders
The research projects in which the researcher may participate include:
- Understanding taxpayers’ adoption of digital tools for tax filing and tax payment in Rwanda, building on survey and administrative data
- Measuring the impacts of e-filing and e-payment adoption on tax compliance in Eswatini, through the analysis of large administrative datasets
- Review of the challenges with and limitations of data and technology in tax administration in low-income countries
- Policy-oriented paper on understanding the process of adoption and implementation of technology in Uganda and Sierra Leone
- Future, still tentative, projects could involve: (i) analyse administrative data from the revenue authority and central bank in Rwanda, (ii) estimate the impacts of the adoption of digital tools in Ethiopia (iii) analysis of the impact of mobile money taxes on users in Kenya. The specific tasks and responsibilities may vary according to the needs of the projects.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree (PhD students preferred) in economics, political science, applied
statistics or a related discipline - Research experience: at least 1-2 years preferred. More senior profiles also welcome
- Experience in tax or in DFS a distinct advantage
- Extensive coursework and experience in economics, statistics, public policy and
international development - Quantitative and analytical skills and experience with statistical software, especially Stata, required. Additional knowledge of R preferred
- Excellent management and organisational skills. Ability to run different projects at the same time.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Being detail oriented and able to work independently and with flexibility
- Experience in managing teams and interacting with institutional partners strongly desired
- Experience living in a developing country preferred
Fees and Location
The consultant researcher will earn between £134-177 GBP per day depending on their level of experience. The contract may be extended subject to project need and available funding. The Contractor is responsible for providing their own equipment and workspace. This includes payment of their relevant taxes.
This is a UK consultancy contract with the Institute of Development Studies. In light of travel restrictions resulting from Covid-19 the contract will be signed virtually by electronic means, and treated as if signed in the UK for all legal purposes. The contract will correspondingly be subject to UK labour laws and regulations, and the contractor will not have recourse to separate labour law protections in their country of residence.
The Contractor is free to be based anywhere in the world. The focus of the work is international, and primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Because work under this contract will be conducted off-site and requires close collaboration with other ICTD staff, regular communication with the team will be necessary, particularly with the DIGITAX Research Lead Fabrizio Santoro and Programme Lead Laura Munoz.
Applications
If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your CV and application to [email protected] before 15th June 2021.
