Research Associate

Description:

The Cato Institute’s Opportunity and Family Policy Studies along with Cato’s Public Opinion and Polling seeks a Research Associate for a full-time position in Washington, D.C., to help produce research and conduct national public opinion polls and survey experiments on a broad range of topics related to increasing opportunity, supporting families, and a wide variety of matters of public opinion. Cato’s polling unit surveys American attitudes on a variety of topics including trade, free speech, monetary policy, criminal justice, policing, immigration, and more.

In this role, you will assist with research on topics ranging from workplace flexibility and housing affordability to childcare, paid family leave, and occupational licensing. You will also assist with public opinion polling across a wide variety of research topics. You will help design survey questionnaires and experiments, analyze survey data, create data visualizations, draft blog posts and survey reports, and collate outside public opinion research. The role will also help support public opinion products for social media and track externally conducted public opinion polls each day.

The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial and disciplined self-starter with demonstrated interest in the universe of opportunity and family policy related issues. The candidate should be a clear writer and proficient in Excel and statistical software (STATA or R). Past research experience is a plus and familiarity with public policy and American politics is required, as is a bachelor’s degree in a related field (economics, policy, political science, statistics, data science etc). Candidates should be aligned with Cato’s mission.

This role is available through our two-year Research Associate program, where research associates will have the opportunity to learn from senior staff and featured guest lecturers across academia and the business community. While this position is based in Washington, D.C. there is a possible opportunity for remote work.

About Cato
The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization—a think tank—dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.

Founded in 1977, Cato owes its name to Cato’s Letters, a series of essays published in 18th-century England that presented a vision of a society free from excessive government power. Those essays inspired the architects of the American Revolution. And the simple, timeless principles of that revolution — individual liberty, limited government, and free markets – turn out to be even more powerful in today’s world of global markets and unprecedented access to information than Jefferson or Madison could have imagined. Social and economic freedom is not just the best policy for a free people, it is the indispensable framework for the future.

The Cato Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Responsibilities

• Support the research of VP and Director of Polling and the Director of Opportunity and Family Policy Studies as well as other team members on an as-needed basis.
• Conduct data analysis using Stata, R, and/or Excel.
• Conduct general or detailed research as required and help draft reports and other research products based on original findings and peer-reviewed academic research.
• Help design and draft survey questionnaires, experiments, and newsletters.
• Assist in preparing presentable statistical output in the form of chart and graphics.
• Edit, fact check, and/or review various research products.
• Oversee Cato polls social media.
• Support the administrative and organizational needs and events of the team.
• Help in selection and supervision of interns.
• Support the needs of the Politics & Society Vertical.

Requirements:

• Strong quantitative skills, the ability to work on multiple tasks both independently and as part of a highly collaborative team on a time-sensitive basis, and commitment to accuracy.
• Familiarity with Excel and statistical software (either Stata or R) is required.
• Ability to write well-structured, readable prose.
• A demonstrated interest in opportunity and family policy.
• Familiarity with American politics.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, political science, public policy, statistics, data science (or equivalent work experience in these fields).

To Apply

• Please include your resume and a writing sample in PDF format