CBO seeks an industrial organization (IO) economist to analyze the economic effects of changes in regulation or legislation. The IO economist will contribute to the agency’s understanding of how firms will react to changes in regulation or legislation, particularly changes that affect competition, prices, profits, and innovation. The economist will apply his or her knowledge of markets, mechanism design, and institutions to increase CBO’s capacity to model various Congressional proposals (such as for a public option for nongroup health insurance), the impact of tax or reimbursement policies on pharmaceutical innovation, employers’ responses to changes in federal programs, and regulatory or price changes in the health care provider market. 

The economist will conduct theoretical and empirical analyses of complex policy problems affecting the federal government, taking advantage of its unique access to data. CBO obtains administrative data from executive agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Commerce. For example, CBO has detailed information about the price of drugs and the demand for them in the Medicare Part D program—information drawn from individual-level purchases for the millions of beneficiaries in the program—and detailed information about hospital and physicians’ services for Medicare beneficiaries. 

The ideal candidate has a Ph.D. in economics or a related field. He or she is interested in public policy; experienced in applied industrial organization, market design, or a related field of economics; creative in applying and adapting insights from those fields to public policy applications; and able to explain complex concepts clearly and intuitively to a broad audience. People who are not citizens of the United States should review the agency’s citizenship requirements or contact careers@cbo.gov for assistance in determining eligibility.

​CBO is an equal opportunity employer. M/F/V/D

  

The Health Analysis Division (HAD) seeks a health economist to contribute to a variety of projects, analyses, and modeling. The economist will work closely with other CBO staff to prepare information, studies, and testimony for the Congress. Furthermore, CBO’s economists are encouraged to describe both the agency’s projects and their own research in CBO working papers and submissions to academic journals.

HAD’s recently completed work includes an analysis of the effects of changes in future revenues on prescription drug development, an analysis of the costs of proposals for illustrative single-payer health care systems, an analysis of the uninsured population, long-term projections of spending in federal health care programs, and a study of how a “public option” offered in nongroup health insurance markets might be designed. Ongoing work includes studies on a broad range of topics, such as factors affecting the supply of, demand for, and prices of medical services. The successful candidate will contribute to developing new studies and to designing and improving the state-of-the-art analytical models that underlie CBO’s studies and cost estimates for proposed legislation.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. in economics, health economics, or a related discipline. In addition, applicants should have prior experience in health policy analysis, strong quantitative skills, experience using large data files, an in-depth knowledge of at least one programming language, and an interest in the development of policy-relevant models. Applicants should be able to initiate and complete research projects both independently and with a team; be able to clearly present their work orally and in writing to nontechnical audiences; and want to work on issues of current or potential legislative interest to the Congress. People who are not citizens of the United States should review CBO's  citizenship requirements or contact careers@cbo.gov for assistance in determining eligibility.

CBO is an equal opportunity employer. M/F/V/D

  

The Health Analysis Division (HAD) seeks a health policy analyst to contribute to a variety of projects, analyses, and modeling. The analyst will work closely with other CBO staff to prepare information, studies, and testimony for the Congress. Furthermore, CBO’s analysts are encouraged to describe both the agency’s projects and their own research in CBO working papers and submissions to academic journals.

HAD’s recently completed work includes an analysis of the effects of changes in future revenues on prescription drug development, an analysis of the costs of proposals for illustrative single-payer health care systems, an analysis of the uninsured population, long-term projections of spending in federal health care programs, and a study of how a “public option” offered in nongroup health insurance markets might be designed. Ongoing work includes studies on a broad range of topics, such as factors affecting the supply of, demand for, and prices of medical services. The successful candidate will contribute to developing new studies and to designing and improving the state-of-the-art analytical models that underlie CBO’s studies and cost estimates for proposed legislation.

Applicants must have an advanced degree in policy analysis, health policy, economics, or a related discipline and at least five years of relevant experience. Applicants should be able to initiate and complete research projects, both independently and with a team, and want to work on issues of current or potential legislative interest to the Congress. Applicants must have strong quantitative skills, experience using large data files, and knowledge of the institutional details of health care markets. The position requires excellent communication skills and the ability to clearly present work orally and in writing to nontechnical audiences. Experience managing the written work of other analysts is a plus. People who are not citizens of the United States should review the agency's citizenship requirements or contact careers@cbo.gov for assistance in determining eligibility.

​CBO is an equal opportunity employer. M/F/V/D