 |
| AJIRALEO TANZANIA |
Jobs
in Tanzania 2019: New Job Dar es salaam at Innovations for Poverty
Action (IPA) - Research Associate, Mobile Insurance | Deadline: 12th
March, 2019
AJIRA TANZANIA 2019 / NAFASI ZA KAZI 2019
Job Title:
Research Associate, Mobile Insurance
Location:
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Application Deadline:
2019-03-12
Overview
Innovations
for Poverty Action seeks a Research Associate to manage a project that
will answer questions related to take up, selection, and
use/satisfaction of mobile insurance, across different enrollment
methods (solicitation vs no solicitation), different controlled audio
messages at the point of sale (disclosure, behavioral marketing), and
different follow-up scenarios.
The project is led by Michael King (University of Trinity Dublin) and
Paolina del Carmen Medina Palma (Texas A&M University).
Development
and roll-out of mobile insurance in developing countries has only begun
recently. Insurance regulators do not yet have a clear understanding of
the associated consumer protection implications and have not yet
developed evidence based regulatory guidelines for interactions with
customers. We expect this research to provide evidence on the efficacy
of aggressive telemarketing and provide guidance on the effectiveness of
disclosure solutions. On the assumption that our disclosure
interventions are effective, the findings will empower regulators to
pursue interventionist policies to ensure customers are better informed
about terms and conditions and claims processes. This research project
studies the effect of regulatory disclosures and behaviorally informed
advertising strategies on take-up, renewal and claims for mobile
hospitalization insurance provided by a large mobile network operator
(MNO) and insurance provider in Tanzania.
We use consumer protection motivated pre-recorded messages played
during phone call solicitations, cross-randomized with informative
follow text messages, to study changes in composition of the insured
pool, and changes in user behavior.
The study will include 4 groups:
- Group 1: As a benchmark, we will study the characteristics and behavior of a random sample of 4,000 individuals that “self-enroll” in to the mobile insurance product by directly calling the MNO and without receiving a phone solicitation call.
To
study the effect of different solicitation messages, we will randomize
150,000 pre-screened MNO users, into three groups of equal size to
receive phone solicitations as follows:
- Group 2: Phone solicitations with standard script currently used by the insurance provider.
- Group 3: Phone solicitations with standard script and an additional pre-recorded disclosure message.
- Group 4: Phone solicitations with standard script and an additional pre-recorded behaviorally informed marketing message.
We
will complement administrative data on all of these individuals with
two rounds of phone surveys with 12,000 respondents each to gather
information on socioeconomic characteristics, historical health
outcomes, experiences of insurance and use of informal insurance
mechanisms
The
Research Associate will work closely with the Research Manager,
Principal Investigators, staff from the implementing partners, and other
IPA country office staff to oversee the implementation of the research
study including the development and roll-out of the consumer disclosure
messaging. The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field
management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge
development research. The work will develop your analytical and
management skills and require your full commitment in a challenging
environment. This position will likely be based in Dar es Salaam and
requires frequent travel to the field sites.
Responsibilities
The Research Associate will perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to:
- Leading the implementation of the research study, including phone surveys of 12,000 individuals and collection of administrative data from the insurance provider and MNO partner
- Managing budgets, timelines, contract worker payroll, and procurement
- Managing day-to-day relationships with the insurance provider and MNO partner for this project
- Leading the development of the consumer disclosure messaging; overseeing the implementation of this intervention
- Measuring and enforcing adherence to data quality protocols, including auditing enumerators, monitoring data collection, and conducting data quality audits;
- Developing reports and deliverables for donors
- Managing relationships with key stakeholders
- Writing reports detailing research findings and proposed interventions;
- Performing related duties as assigned by supervisor; and
- Maintaining compliance with IPA policies and procedures
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in economics, international development, public policy or related fields; Master's Degree an advantage
- Excellent project management and organizational skills; meticulous attention to detail
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; communication skills in KiSwahili an advantage
- A strong understanding of research methods and prior training/experience in conducting quantitative research
- Proficiency in Stata or similar data analysis software and MS Office
- Creativity and intellectual curiosity in experimental methods, ability to find quick and effective solutions to unforeseen circumstances
- Flexible, independent, self-motivating, ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently and work under pressure
- Interest in consumer protection and economic development
- Ability to work in a diverse, multi-cultural environment
