E T Consultant Research Economist India, Washington DC

E T Consultant Research Economist India Job #: req37322 Organization: World Bank Sector: Research & Quantitative Analysis Grade: EC2 Term Duration: 1 year 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 7/10/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit

The Development Economics (DEC) Vice Presidency  
DEC is the primary hub of the World Bank's knowledge system. Through its various functions – research, global analysis and development data – it serves member countries and the Bank in generating knowledge and absorbing, disseminating, and utilizing it for economic development and poverty reduction around the world. DEC seeks to increase understanding of development policies and programs by providing intellectual leadership and analytical services to the Bank and the development community. DEC's structure reflects these objectives, comprising the Development Research Group, Development Data Group, Global Indicators Group, Development Impact Evaluation Group, and a Development Policy unit.

The Development Economics Planet (DECPT) unit within DECRG provides intellectual leadership, technical assistance and substantive advice to counterparts both inside and outside the World Bank on all aspects of agriculture, environmental management, climate change, and infrastructure. Within DECRG, the Land Team conducts research, analytical work, and policy dialogue on land governance at national, regional, and global levels. It also supports operational teams to help design and evaluate interventions to improve land rights security, operation of land and other factor markets, and land use.

Responsibilities
The Land team's work in India focuses on the impact of the digitalization of land records via SVAMITVA and NAKSHA and their interoperability with Agri-Stack on improving tenure security, access to finance, repurposing of agricultural subsidies. The SVAMITVA scheme uses drone technology to map rural land parcels and issue legal property titles to rural households, enabling access to finance and improving local revenue collection. NAKSHA complements this by creating geospatial land records for urban areas. Together, they form the backbone of India's land records modernization program, with significant implications for property taxation, credit access, and urban planning. India's Agri-Stack, a digital public infrastructure linking farmer identities, land records, and crop data, creates the data interoperability needed to improve farmers' access to credit and insurance and to support the repurposing of agricultural subsidies.

The ETC will support the unit's research efforts in India in terms of taking responsibility for all practical aspects of supporting implementation of rigorous evaluations of efforts to use land records to increase land owners’ and tenants’ access to finance, help improve local revenue generation, enhance the effectiveness of public support to rural areas; and increase adaptation and diversification as well as access to insurance by exploiting the data interoperability inherent in India's Agri-Stack.

Operationally, the ETC will take responsibility for maintaining the dialogue with the CMU and relevant Ministries to monitor implementation of innovative programs on land in a way that is comparable across states , link these efforts to rigorous impact evaluations wherever possible, and collaborate with local think tanks, and Universities to build capacity. 

Selection Criteria

Do you meet the following selection criteria? If so, we encourage you to apply: 
• PhD in economics or related discipline
• Track record of economic research on India; familiarity with land records and access to finance in India is an advantage
• Strong analytical skills and familiarity with literature on impact evaluation; familiarity with the literature on land tenure, institutions, and markets
• Demonstrated ability to work with survey, administrative, and geospatial data
• Pipeline of journal publications or publishable work in progress
• Strong communication and presentation skills; proven ability to communicate effectively with policy makers

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

As per WBG policy, an Extended Term (ET) appointment is subject to a lifetime maximum of three (3) years. Former and current ET staff who have completed or are in the process of completing their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.