Applied Microeconomist, CBO

Tax Analysis Division

15-02 APPLIED MICROECONOMIST

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a small nonpartisan agency that provides economic and budgetary analysis to the Congress. The Tax Analysis Division is seeking an economist to conduct research and analyses on a broad range of federal tax policy issues.

The Tax Analysis Division is responsible for providing the Congress with analysis and evaluation of the effects of past and proposed changes to federal tax policies and for projecting federal revenues as part of the Congressional Budget Office’s official ten-year budget “baseline.” Recently completed studies by the division include analyses of the distribution of federal taxes and spending, the distribution of major tax expenditures in the individual income tax system, effective marginal tax rates for low- and moderate-income workers, refundable tax credits, the taxation of businesses through the individual income tax, tax incentives for home ownership, and the elasticity of capital gains realizations, among others.

The analyst will conduct empirical research on a wide variety of federal tax policy issues, such as the effect of taxes and transfers on labor supply. The analyst will also help to add new capabilities to CBO’s individual income tax microsimulation model, such as improving the modelling of means-tested transfer programs. Staff members are encouraged to actively participate in the policy research community by presenting papers at conferences, publishing articles in professional journals, and circulating preliminary research through CBO’s working paper series.

Qualifications:

Applicants should have either a Ph.D. in economics or a related discipline or a Master’s
degree in those fields and equivalent experience. They should have strong quantitative
skills and experience using large microdata files. Applicants should also have the ability
to initiate and complete research projects independently and as a member of a team, the
ability to clearly present their work orally and in writing to nontechnical audiences, and a
desire to work on issues of current or potential legislative interest to the Congress.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience, education, and other
qualifications. CBO offers excellent benefits and an appealing work environment.

How to Apply:

Please submit a cover letter, résumé, salary history, a brief writing sample and contact
information for three (3) references online at www.cbo.gov/careers. Recent graduates should submit an unofficial copy of academic transcripts and have letters of recommendation sent to careers@cbo.gov in place of the references. Only complete applications will be considered. This position is governed by the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act, as made applicable by the Congressional Accountability Act, as amended.

Contact:

Nancy Fahey or Holly Boras, Washington, DC, (202) 226 2628, careers@cbo.gov, www.cbo.gov. EEO/M/F/V/D