Job: Economist

Location: New Delhi, India 
Deadline: Monday, 28 October 2013 

Description

Background / General description:

Please note this is a country office position in India subject to local recruitment under the India compensation plan. If a staff member holding an HQ/international position is selected into this position, then the staff member would convert to a local appointment (i.e., a local salary and no expatriate benefits).

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Background/General Description

Introduction to WSP

The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) is an international partnership to help the poor gain sustained access to water supply and sanitation services. Administered by the World Bank with financial support from several bi- and multi-lateral and private donors, WSP is a decentralized partnership and operates through offices in Africa, East Asia, Latin America and South Asia. A major thrust of the programs is to help its clients prepare for and implement actions towards meeting the water and sanitation (WSS) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In pursuing their mission, WSP staff provide advisory support to projects and policies, help identify and disseminate best practices and lessons from experience across countries, assist clients in the implementation of pilot projects to test out new ideas and facilitate informal networks of practitioners and sector stakeholders. Additional information about WSP can be found on the program website ( www.wsp.org). WSP is administratively a part of the World Bank's Transport, Water and Information & Communications Technology Department (TWI) in the Sustainable Development Network (SDN) Vice Presidency.

WSP Business Plan

WSP's FY11-15 Business Plan is based on a global strategy '˜FY2009-2018: Scaling Up Sustainable Services', which articulates WSP's proposed strategic response to identified sector challenges affecting the poor through capacity building, technical assistance and knowledge. The Business Plan identifies six business areas where the program could have the best opportunity to affect large-scale change in sector performance: scaling up rural sanitation and hygiene; creating sustainable services through domestic private sector participation; supporting poor-inclusive WSS sector reform; targeting the urban poor and improving services in small towns; mitigating and adapting WSS delivery to climate change impacts; and delivering WSS services in fragile states. These areas were identified through a process of embedding a results-based framework throughout WSP's country, regional and global work programs.

WSP in South Asia

WSP in South Asia (WSP-SA) currently operates through offices in Delhi, Dhaka and Islamabad. The WSP-SA program is managed by a Regional Team Leader who is accountable to the Program Manager in Washington.

The Government of India is implementing substantial reforms in the water and sanitation sector. These reforms include the institutionalizing of decentralized service delivery with the goal of delivering demand-responsive, high quality, sustainable services for all consumers. WSP is supporting these reforms through technical assistance at the national and subnational level. The Economist will be a key member of the India country team with responsibility for the support to the GoI. Cross-support to World Bank lending operations in India, especially to address pro-poor aspects of basic service delivery, represents an increasingly important aspect of the work program.

The Economics of Sanitation Initiative (ESI)

In its recognition of the vital role of economic evidence to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of sanitation and hygiene programs, and to provide advocacy materials to attract more funding to these under prioritized issues, the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) in 2007 launched the Economics of Sanitation Initiative (ESI), with the aim in a first phase in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) to estimate the economic cost of poor sanitation in five countries. In 2008 the South Asia region (SAR) followed suit and initiated studies in 3 countries. Building on the approach and methodology developed in Asia the study expanded to the Africa region in 2010. The results of the ESI Phase 1 have been widely disseminated in the countries of the original studies as well as globally. A second phase of ESI studies was launched in EAP in 2008 and India in 2009, focusing on evaluating both the economic costs and benefits of different sanitation technology and program options in a range of settings. In India, 12 field sites were assessed, reflecting different settings (rural, urban, topographical, climatic, etc). Results of this phase have been widely disseminated.

However, despite these studies, many gaps in economic evidence remain. The first major gap is in the geographical scope of the evidence: there is still no or limited economic evidence for many low- and middle-income countries. Second, the geographical depth of the existing evidence is limited. In countries where ESI studies have been conducted, sampling of field sites and technologies was done to be representative at the national level; however, many settings and technology sub-types could not be tested, and hence these studies do not provide sufficient evidence for very specific decisions at sub-national level in these countries.

Third, previous ESI studies have pointed out costs and impacts where there is only weak evidence and more in-depth studies are needed, such as on environmental impacts, some types of health impact (e.g. helminthes, enteropathy) and effects on businesses and tourism. The inclusion of such impacts is expected to render sanitation and hygiene interventions even more economically attractive. Fourth, some economic questions have not yet been answered by ESI studies already undertaken. Therefore, to respond to these gaps in knowledge and the needs of diverse stakeholders, a detailed but flexible software-based Toolkit has been developed. This Toolkit consists of a package of survey modules, data entry forms, databases, and practical guidance documents covering methodology and key assumptions.

Other economics and financial studies

Over the years, WSP has conducted many other technical studies on the costs, economics and financing of the WASH sector, and continues to do so. There continue to be many direct demands from clients and partners, and many WSP and AAA products within the water practice that require quality and relevant economics components. Currently these include 24/7 water supply, fecal sludge management, economics of post-2015 global WASH targets, global economics evidence reviews and private sector participation. The growing portfolio of projects requires more capacity within WSP to deliver on these and future requests.

Purpose and Scope of Position

As a member of the WSP-SA team, the Economist will contribute to meet WSP's program objectives by contributing technical expertise and know-how to support the generation of relevant economic and financial information in water, sanitation and hygiene, and supporting learning and communication of economic/financial issues to sector stakeholders. The Economist will also be engaged in activities outside the South Asia Region, as opportunities arise.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 2 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The candidate, located in New Delhi, India, will report to the WSP, Regional Team Leader based in Delhi and provide support to Task Team Leaders in WSP India and elsewhere, according to the projects engaged in. The main responsibilities will be to:

1. Contribute to key economic and analytic work which supports WSP's core business priorities, such as Economics of Sanitation, Service Delivery Assessments, Impact Evaluations, and other analytical products.

2. Develop analytical tools that support country and regional colleagues in applying good practices in water sector projects and advisory work.

3. Contribute to specific knowledge management or policy research initiatives on water economics. This includes developing analytical work and giving strategic direction on critical topics in the sector which are in demand by WBG, country clients and partners. The knowledge management or policy research initiatives will actively contribute to identifying own managed work program priorities in the water practice.

4. As appropriate, support policy dialogue with client governments; identify priority areas and develop tailored products and respond to the emerging and evolving needs of the client countries.

5. Support regional and country staff in delivering analytical and advisory activities (AAAs), including free standing economic and sector studies, economic analysis and impact evaluation of projects and programs, contribution to the core diagnostic studies, policy notes, public expenditure reviews and public sector reform issues. Contribute to the production of 'think pieces' and 'best practices' studies; develop proposals for analytical tasks at the country and the regional levels.

Selection Criteria:

• Advanced degree (at least Masters level) in economics, business administration or similar field; demonstrated strong technical knowledge and analytical skills; experience in applied economics in the areas of water, poverty, and institutional governance issues related to water sector.
• Minimum of five years of relevant experience with strong analytical skills, methodological rigor and demonstrated problem-solving ability.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating and conceptualizing complex projects and processes, conducting policy dialogue and providing technical advisory services, and producing reports or studies.
• Strong client orientation and proven record of strong client relations and demonstrated strong interpersonal skills. Ability to work in sensitive situations and challenging policy environments and with commitment to results on the ground. Proven record in providing prompt and quality response to client requests.
• Demonstrated project management skills to function effectively in multi-disciplinary teams within a matrix management environment; general knowledge of World Bank policies and operational programs would be a plus. Appropriate level of information technology skills.

Additional Selection Criteria:

Competencies

• Client Orientation - Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success.
• Drive for Results - Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results, and has the personal organization to do so.
• Teamwork and inclusion - Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team's work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work.

Position-specific Competencies:

• General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills - Possesses a demonstrated track record of working with economic and sectoral data and analytical tools and models to conduct economic analyses and produce user-friendly written outputs; understands underlying statistical concepts.
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Understands policy making process; distills operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for clients.
• Policy Dialogue Skills - Identifies and assesses policy issues and plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders.
• Integrative Skills - Working to develop an integrated view across all facets of the sector.

More Info and Application