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I have expertise in experimental methods, RCTs, evidence-based projects, and quantitative analysis. I have conducted research in India over the last 9 years, both while living in India for my PhD at Brown University, which I completed in 2016. My research has focused on gender, education, inequality, and aid, though my skills are useful for a wide range of applications. |
 Contact Michael Dickerson
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Area of Expertise: |
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Monitoring, Evaluation, Policy, Research, Analysis
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Social, Education, Gender, Youth, Child
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Professional Experience: |
In January 2008, I moved to India after completing my Masters at Washington University in St. Louis, where I joined the research team of the largest education NGO in India, Pratham, the research branch of which is known as the ASER Centre. I encouraged the organization to pay closer attention to gender parity in education and spearheaded a project that quantified the gender gap in enrollment by state over time, with an emphasis on the states of Bihar, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
I left the ASER Centre to join the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), where I worked with the Director, Dr. Rajiv Kumar. I persuaded Dr. Kumar to further incorporate development issues into the ICRIER agenda. At ICRIER, I was the lead researcher on a World Bank project considering the potential for enhanced South-South cooperation to improve aid effectiveness. One of the initiatives I highlighted was the effort of Barefoot College to train rural, uneducated women to build, install, repair, and maintain solar electrification equipment; this effort is now supported by the Government of India and trains not only Indian women, but hundreds of women from countries throughout Africa.
After ICRIER, I joined Dr. Kumar on a project supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, where I managed a project on the relationship between globalization and inequality. One of my main findings documented the extent of gender disparities in income within villages in rural India.
In 2011, I returned to the United States to begin work on my PhD at Brown University, which I completed in 2016, under the direction of Rose McDermott. For my dissertation, I conducted a survey experiment with 5,000 observations to empirically analyze variation in the treatment of women within India. For this project, I manipulated aspects of each substantive question to empirically observe discrimination against females in a number of domains (e.g. resource allocation, reproductive decisions, and mobility) and analyzed the interaction between such biases and education, religion, income, and gender of respondent. I found evidence of treatment effect heterogeneity with regard to education, religions, and gender of respondent under certain conditions, as well as significant variation in bias against females my region within India.
I have successfully designed, implemented, and analyzed a wide range of experiments. Not only do I have the analytical skills to conceptualize and analyze experiments, but I also have the managerial and interpersonal abilities necessary to execute large-scale research projects effectively, managing and overseeing the training of more than 100 enumerators over the course of my dissertation research.
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Education: |
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I completed my PhD in Political Science from Brown University in May, 2016. My dissertation, entitled "The Micropractices of Discrimination against Females: Evidence from a series of survey experiments in India", explored the determinants of variation in the treatment of women within India. My training and skills in experimental methods, RCTs, evidence-based projects, behavioral sciences, and quantitative analysis render me a rare candidate on the job market.
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Available for: |
- Consulting assignments
- Job opportunities
- Internships / Fellowships
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Years of Experience:
5-10 years |
Highest Qualification:
Doctorate |
Languages:
English, Hindi |
Nationality:
United States
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