Research Associate – Budget and Entitlement Policy

Stand Together

Research Associate for the Cato Institute supporting budget and entitlement policy research. Engaging in research summaries and original policy analysis for various publications.

Posted 4/29/2026full-timeRemote • District of Columbia, Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesJuniorMid-LevelWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Support the research of the Budget and Entitlement Policy team.
Support the administrative and organizational needs of the Budget and Entitlement Policy team.
Produce the weekly Debt Digest, including synthesizing fiscal developments, analyzing budget data, and drafting concise summaries for publication, and similar newsletter features.

Requirements

What you’ll need

A bachelor’s degree in economics or political science.
No prior work experience required.
Passion for the intersection of economics, government policy, and libertarianism.
Familiarity with basic economic and budgeting concepts.
Empirical skills and familiarity with R, STATA, Excel, and other statistical programs are a plus.
Strong organizational skills and a commitment to accuracy.
Strong writing skills.
Intellectual curiosity and demonstrated ability to question assumptions, think independently, and advance new ideas.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Flexible work arrangements
Professional development opportunities

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

budgetingeconomic analysisdata synthesisstatistical analysis

Soft Skills

organizational skillswriting skillsintellectual curiosityindependent thinkingcommitment to accuracy