About me:
US Master of International Affairs (International Economics + Development track)
Strong applied quantitative background: econometrics, data analysis, GIS, applied to social issues
Fluent Spanish and Portuguese
About 3 years of relevant work experience by the time I move
Planning to make Latin America home for the next 20 years or so. This isn't a gap year.
What I want to work on:
Applied inequality and poverty research, environmental policy, or similar field-based work with communities, not just desk analysis
Ideally some connection to university research on poverty and development
What I'm asking:
Where are the real ecosystems for someone like me? I'm thinking of:
Think tanks and research centers
University-affiliated poverty or development labs
NGOs and foundations with strong M&E or research arms
Regional or multilateral bodies (ECLAC, IDB, CAF, etc.)
Impact evaluation shops (J-PAL LAC, IPA, etc.)
Social enterprises or consultancies doing applied social or environmental work
I'd really appreciate hearing which countries or cities have the most active scenes for this (e.g., Santiago, Bogotá, Mexico City, São Paulo, Lima)
Specific organizations or research groups worth getting on the radar of
How foreigners realistically get hired: networking, local master's or PhD, consulting first, etc.
Visa and work-permit realities in these sectors
Salary expectations and whether local or regional contracts are livable
I already know "just stay in the US" and "government jobs are for nationals only" are common answers. I'm looking for the non-government paths that do exist.
Thanks in advance. Happy to share anything I learn with others looking at the same path.