Economist

Focus of the Role

Renewing the Centre is the main UK-facing policy and research unit of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. We produce, commission and curate high-quality empirical analysis with a view to developing a radical but practical policy platform to renew the progressive centre ground of politics. With a primary focus on the UK, our aim is to develop an exciting, positive agenda for change to improve people’s lives and strengthen liberal democracy against a rising tide of angry populism.

Job Introduction

How has the nature and experience of inequality changed over the past generation? What explains the rise in knife crime? What’s behind the productivity puzzle? These are just some of the types of questions we will be exploring to provide an evidence base for a radical policy agenda to renew the progressive centre ground of UK politics.

We are looking to hire an Economist with strong quantitative skills, an entrepreneurial approach to empirical investigation and a good policy brain, to contribute to the analytical basis of our research and policy agenda.

As a exceptional analyst, you will be adept at finding ways to add value to the work of colleagues leading the development of analysis and policy in areas ranging from public services reform to taxation, from transport to corporate governance, injecting critical thinking and quantitative rigour.

Economist applicants are likely to have some experience in one of our areas of policy focus – public services, work and inequality, productivity and sustainability, and community – as well as the creativity to produce entrepreneurial research that can move policy debates forward.

Working to an experienced Head of Analysis, this exciting role offers the post-holder the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of policy agendas across the team, and make a name for themselves by developing incisive analysis that can change the terms of debate.

With an academic background, you will combine sophisticated analytical capabilities with a strong interest in policymaking, to help develop proposals that go beyond technocratic tinkering with the status quo and address the more fundamental problems that policy must address.

Close attention to detail and a commitment to excellence will be hallmarks of your work and, as an excellent communicator, you will be adept at conveying complex analysis and its implications to a wide audience including the media.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertaking rigorous, quantitative analysis using national statistics and household survey data, primarily focused on the UK.
• Getting to grips with the detail of major policy areas in order to make effective proposals for reform.
• Taking an entrepreneurial approach to framing policy issues in insightful ways that motivate solutions.
• Contributing to reports that elucidate the policy challenge and helping to develop radical but practical solutions.
• Contributing analytical support and policy expertise to other teams within RTC.
• Representing TBI in the media and other public forums.

Person Specification

• A passion for using analysis and creativity to provide radical policy solutions that can help to revitalise the centre ground of politics.
• Familiarity with analysing large datasets, such as the FRS and LFS, or other data sources.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis tools such as Stata.
• Versatility to apply analytical skills to new policy areas.
• Creativity to produce new and rigorous analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A good postgraduate degree in Economics or a closely-related discipline.

About The Institute

About The Company

At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change we are dedicated to making globalisation work for the many, not the few. We do this by helping countries, their people and their governments, address some of the most difficult challenges in the world today – beginning with those where we think we can break new ground, offering leaders new thinking and new approaches. Our staff – over 200 of them, based all over the world – are working on some of the most intractable problems around issues of co-existence, governance, the peace process in the Middle East and renewing the centre.