Intern (ERDI-ERDD) 2601-008

Economic Research and Development Impact Department (ERDI)

Data Division (ERDD) and Economic Analysis and Operational Support Division (EREA)

1. Internship Topic

Poverty, vulnerability and climate change

2. Summary of Job Description

The intern will

• Support the preparation of a background paper for a policy-oriented report examining the links between climate change, poverty, inequality, and vulnerability.
• Prepare, compile, and analyze multi-source datasets, including household survey and climate-related data, to examine links between climate change and patterns of poverty, inequality, and vulnerability.
• Conduct quantitative analysis to explore how climate-related risks and shocks are associated with different outcomes across population groups, regions, or income segments, with attention to distributional and equity considerations relevant for policy design.
• Contribute to the writing of data, methods, and analytical background sections of the background paper, clearly documenting empirical approaches, assumptions, and limitations, and situating the analysis within broader policy and interdisciplinary perspectives on climate risk and vulnerability.
• Assist with other research and analytical tasks as required to support the preparation of the background paper and the broader report.
• Work closely with the research team on data analysis and analytical writing intended for policy and decision-making audiences.

3. Period of Assignment

Duration: 11 weeks

Timing: June 2026 onwards

4. Location

ADB Headquarters, Manila, Philippines

5. Expected Outcomes

• A completed or near-complete contribution to a background paper for a policy report, including empirical analysis and written sections on data, methods, and distributional patterns linking climate change with poverty, inequality, and vulnerability.
• A set of cleaned datasets, documented source code, and summary tables or figures that can be used in the final report to inform policy discussions on climate adaptation, resilience, and inclusive development.

6. Education Requirements

Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Economics, Public Policy / Public Administration with quantitative focus, Statistics / Data Science, Geography / Urban Studies with spatial and quantitative methods and Environmental Science / Sustainability Science with applied modeling

7. Relevant Experience and Other Requirements

• Strong quantitative and statistical analysis skills, including data cleaning, merging, and validation across large, multi-source datasets and reproducible research practices and code documentation
• Experience working with complex datasets, including one or more of: Household survey data (LSMS, DHS, census microdata, labor surveys); Climate and environmental datasets (temperature, rainfall, drought indices, satellite data); Geospatial data (GIS, raster/vector data, spatial joins) would be desirable and an asset
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Preferably with 2-3 years relevant professional experience
• Strong analytical reasoning and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple datasets and tasks independently with minimal supervision
• Strong collaboration skills and responsiveness in a research team environment
• Ability to meet deadlines and maintain organized workflow