RWI − Leibniz Institute for Economic Research invites applications for several positions of Replicators on a self-employed basis to conduct a robustness replication of a published microeconomic study in the field of Development Economics.

The successful applicant will work with us on the project “Robustness and Replicability in Economics (R2E)”, funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) Priority Programme “Meta-Rep”. The Lead PI is Jörg Ankel-Peters (RWI) with co-investigators Anna Dreber and Magnus Johannesson (Stockholm School of Economics).

In this project, we aim to, first, define replicability for robustness replications in economics and, second, transfer this definition into a protocol and, third, conduct many robustness replications using the original data of the studies, based on the developed protocol. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the ongoing debate about replicability and replication rates in economics.

We collaborate closely with the Institute for Replication (I4R).

All robustness replications will contribute to a meta-paper summarizing the collective findings. We plan to publish this meta-paper by the end of 2024, and all replication fellows will be co-authors. This meta-paper is based on a pre-registered replication approach, including the protocol.

Your tasks

You will be assigned one published microeconomics study from the field of development economics. Your task will be to conduct a computational reproduction and robustness replication of this study based on the replication protocol.

This starts with an assessment of the data and code of the original study. You will then conduct a computational reproduction, verifying the published results and checking the code for obvious coding errors. Building on this, you will conduct a replicability assessment, that is, a checklist assessment of pre-registration as well as construct and external validity.

Most importantly, you will conduct a robustness replication following the protocol, implementing various robustness checks to assess the sensitivity of the results to alternative specifications.

You will write a replication report documenting your procedure and results, which will be reviewed by us and sent to the authors of the original study. Finally, we will jointly publish the report as a discussion paper with you as the leading author in the I4R Discussion Paper Series.

Successful applicants should

•  Be interested in the topics of meta-science, replication and research transparency

•  Have a strong background in applied microeconomics and econometrics; experience in Development Economics is a plus

•  Have completed or be currently enrolled in a doctorate degree in economics, statistics, computer sciences, or a related field in social science

•  Have an excellent command of English and strong writing skills

•  Having advanced knowledge of the statistical software Stata; knowledge of R and/or Python is a plus

•  Have the technical infrastructure for working remotely including own equipment (will not be provided by RWI)

The position starts as soon as possible and is limited to six months. The work can be done fully remotely. The applicant will receive compensation of 2,500 € gross in total, possible distributed in installments based upon predetermined deliverables.

Additionally, replication fellows will be listed as co-authors on the meta-paper. At the conclusion of the project, it is foreseen to gather all fellows for a final workshop at RWI in Essen, Germany.

We promote professional equality for all genders.

For further information on the replications, please contact Mr. Julian Rose (rose@rwi-essen.de).

For further information on the application process, please contact Mr. Tilo Schneider. All can be reached at humanresources@rwi-essen.de.

We will hire on a rolling basis. Please send your application documents (cover letter, curriculum vitae as well as a short text (150-250 words) outlining your favorite replication or replication debate including a discussion of why you like it), preferably also by e-mail, quoting the reference number 70900-43-23 until November 26, 2023 to:

RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Mr. Tilo Schneider
PO Box 10 30 54, 45030 Essen
humanresources@rwi-essen.de

Please note, when you submit your application by email your data will be unencrypted, which may result in third parties to note and falsify your documents. Therefore, you can also submit your application by post.