Research Associate – Debt Recovery, Information Provision, and Legal Counseling for Firms: Experimental Evidence from Courts in India

Country: India

Location: Mumbai

Start Date: Jan 1 2026

Length of Commitment: 8 months

Education: Bachelor’s/Master’s in Economics, Statistics, Public Policy or related fields

Organization: J-PAL South Asia at IFMR

Language requirement: Hindi

PIs: Manaswini Rao (University of Delaware), Raghav Pandey (National Law University Delhi)

About J-PAL South Asia:

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) J-PAL was established in 2003 as a research center at the Economics Department at MIT. Since then, it has grown into a global network of researchers who use randomized evaluations to answer critical policy questions in the fight against poverty. J-PAL is propelled by a first-rate team dedicated to research, policy, training, and other vital work, supporting J-PAL's mission to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence.

J-PAL South Asia, based at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) in Chennai, leads J-PAL’s efforts to advance evidence-informed policymaking in the region. By conducting rigorous randomized evaluations, forging impactful strategic partnerships, and scaling effective programs, we strive to deliver better evidence to help governments design better policies so people can live better lives. Established in 2007, J-PAL South Asia is the oldest and the largest among all J-PAL offices. We have 255 ongoing and completed evaluations in the South Asia region across 11 sectors to date. We have a growing number of partnerships in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Project Description:

Courts play an important role in facilitating economic activity. Faster and reliable bankruptcy enforcement and contractual dispute resolution leads to firm growth through positive effects via credit markets. The population of interest for this study are small and medium firms and entrepreneurs – debt defaulters who are issued court summons - and their market-neighborhoods. The current response rate of defaulters to court summons is very low. This project aims to provide experimental evidence to understand the barriers to respond to court summons and settle debt contract disputes between entrepreneurs and banks in Mumbai, India. We seek to work with banks and courts to improve this response rate through an experimental information intervention encouraging settlement through mediation rather than litigation. The study will focus on Mumbai and will try expanding to other areas in Maharashtra/ Karnataka with high level of business activities.

About the Role:

J-PAL South Asia is inviting expressions of interest for upcoming Research Associate (RA) positions across a variety of sectors and geographies. RAs at J-PAL play a central role in managing the implementation of randomized evaluations, working closely with researchers from leading Universities around the world, ensuring that each evaluation is designed and implemented with precision and rigor.

Key Responsibilities:

The responsibilities of a Research Associate typically include, but are not limited to:

● Supporting researchers in developing and refining study protocols through in-field scoping activities. You will provide contextual and operational insights to help researchers shape experimental protocols that are methodologically rigorous and feasible within the study setting.

● Strengthening measurement validity and reliability by assisting in the development and piloting of survey instruments. You will be responsible for organizing field tests, analyzing pilot data, and integrating structured feedback loops to improve the precision and accuracy of indicators.

● Enable accurate and efficient data capture through the programming of digital surveys and development of end-to-end data workflows. This includes incorporating survey logic, real-time checks, and secure data transmission to ensure clean, analysis-ready datasets.

● Ensuring collection of high-quality primary data—recruiting, training, and managing field teams to collect data that meets rigorous research standards.

● Safeguarding data integrity in consultation with the research team by setting up and maintaining systems for real-time quality monitoring. You will identify issues in incoming data, identify solutions in collaboration with the researchers, and implement corrective measures.

● Preparing analysis-ready datasets by writing reproducible code (in Stata, R, or Python), generating summary statistics, and contributing to the analytical preparation for publications, working closely with researchers.

● Facilitating alignment between research teams and implementation partners to ensure that project implementation aligns with study protocols. You will coordinate timelines, share updates across teams, and help troubleshoot day-to-day challenges while maintaining strong working relationships with external stakeholders.

● Ensuring transparency and reproducibility by developing and maintaining detailed documentation, including codebooks, field protocols, and project logs that align with academic standards and support eventual replication and publication.

● Maintaining strict adherence to J-PAL’s research protocols throughout all stages of the research lifecycle.

What We’re Looking For:

● Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to addressing operational and analytical challenges

● Ability to manage day-to-day work with minimal supervision

● Excellent time management and attention to detail

● Ability to navigate fast-evolving settings that require flexibility and initiative

● Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messaging for diverse audiences

Required Knowledge and Skills:

● A Bachelor's/Master’s degree in economics, sociology, social sciences, public policy, public health or related fields.

● Sound understanding of impact evaluation methods, especially randomized controlled trials (RCTs)

● Proficiency in data analysis and statistical tools such as Stata or R

● Experience with digital data collection platforms such as SurveyCTO or Qualtrics

● Fluency in English; speaking proficiency in Hindi

● Willingness to travel extensively and stay in study locations, which are mostly other cities in Maharashtra/ Karnataka

● Experience working with external stakeholders, especially government departments, is a plus

● Knowledge about the Indian legal/ judiciary sector is a plus, but not essential

Note on Work Authorizations:

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.