Research Assistant, Open Source Policy Center

American Enterprise Institute
Washington - United States
S: Competitive Annual Salary

Join a team of top policy experts, economists, and computer scientists making policy simulation tools that are used by members of Congress, the executive branch's economic consultants to the President, major political candidates, leading media publications, academia, and the public.

The Open Source Policy Center (OSPC) develops and hosts open-source tools for computational policy analysis. We build models for estimating economic outcomes such as how a change in tax law will affect the government's revenue or how a universal basic income could affect individuals in different income groups. We also build web applications like TaxBrain to make the models more accessible. These tools shape public policy at the highest levels of government.

This position's focus will be microsimulation modeling, which involves simulating public policy in detail to assess how policy reforms will affect each individual in a database that is representative of the nation as a whole.

Based on past and current responsibility of this position, potential tasks might include examples such as:
•Augment the Tax-Calculator model with new policy reform options by studying the reforms in detail and then describing them in Python code.
•Contribute to scholarly papers, articles, and op-eds
•Impute transfer and social insurance program benefits and implied marginal tax rates to a core database
•Build visualizations like those in www.ospc.org/gallery
•Respond to users questions on technical issues
•Write and maintain documentation for open source economic models

In addition, this research assistant will have the opportunity to interact with top scholars in tax, healthcare and poverty research due to the collaborative nature of OSPC. There is room for growth in the organization based on performance.

Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in economics and public policy as well as experience with economic methodologies, analyzing data, and knowledge of programming—preferably Python. A strong math/statistics background is required, and coursework in linear algebra, multi-variable calculus, and econometrics is strongly preferred. Above all, strong communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal, are required for success in an open source community. 2017 graduates from undergraduate and masters programs are eligible to apply.

AEI offers a stimulating and harmonious work environment and excellent benefits. Interested candidates should submit their resume, cover letter, unofficial academic transcripts, and a writing sample with their on-line application. Qualified candidates should apply at www.aei.org/jobs.

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