Call for Expressions of Interest: Economist
Promising Trouble is looking for a freelance economist to support us with modelling the affordability of internet connectivity.
Deadline for expressions of interest: Monday 13 March, 09:00 GMT
Budget and timing
We would like this work to be carried out by the end of April 2023 at the latest, ideally earlier. The maximum budget is £10,000 (including VAT).
About the project
We are about to start a major programme looking at digital exclusion, health and wellbeing. One critical aspect is examining the affordability of good quality, home internet connectivity.
We know that social tariffs are available to some on a low income, but that they do not necessarily provide the same level of service as standard tariffs, and that they still represent a higher proportion of household income for a low income household compared to a household on median income. With significant price rises for mobile and broadband coming in April and planned uprating of many benefits, we want to get an up-to-date picture of the state of affordability.
What we need
We want to get a comprehensive picture of the cost of home broadband, how affordable it is for households on different income levels and benefits, and a comparison between them. We also want to know the effect of inflation, broadband price rises, and benefit uprating on the affordability of home broadband.
Ofcom have some modelling on this (page 13) which we want to update and expand:
update overall affordability modelling, taking into account 2023 broadband prices (standard and social tariffs) for:
median income households
out of work UC claimant (based on uprating of benefits from April 2023)
part-time working UC claimant (based on uprating of benefits from April 2023)
individual / household receiving illness and disability benefits (based on uprating of benefits from April 2023)
individual / household receiving state pension/ pension credit (based on uprating of benefits from April 2023)
low income household not eligible for social tariffs, or not claiming benefits (see https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/low-income-not-claiming-means-tested-benefits)
and estimates of the number of households / individuals in each of these categories
In particular we want to know the % of disposable income that each of these different categories spend on home broadband
an up-to-date table of social tariffs, their costs, speeds and eligibility (see Table 3, page 10 of Ofcom report)
an up-to-date table of standard tariffs, their costs and speeds (a selection from the main providers)
taking into account price rises, benefit uprating and other factors, what can we say about the changing picture of who can and cannot afford good quality home internet access.
We would also like the option to re-run the modelling in 2024, to update it with 2024 costs and benefit levels.
About you
We’re looking for expressions of interest from individuals or small teams with expertise in economic modelling, and knowledge and experience of appropriate data sources and methods to analyse affordability, household incomes and benefits. You will be able to explain your findings in plain English for a general audience, and translate complex concepts or analysis into comprehensible explanations.
Ideally you will also have an interest in this topic.
About Promising Trouble
Promising Trouble is a social enterprise whose work puts community power at the heart of technology and innovation. Our work centres equity and social justice, with a network of clients and associates distributed internationally. With our sister organisation, Careful Industries, our mission is to make sure more people have the chance to shape, inform and create new technologies.
We are a fully remote team that currently uses Slack and Zoom for day-to-day communication, and a range of digital tools including Asana, Miro, and Google Workspace.
Our Values
Care is the organising principle for everything we do: care for and about people and the planet, combined with a rigorous and diligent approach to investigating uncertainty.
We are constantly learning, always curious, and strive to be inclusive and accepting.
We champion careful innovation and feminism for the 99%.
We are wayfinders not competitors.
We ask good questions, seek useful answers, and listen closely
We are impatient for change, but careful in our actions
We use our power to state the unsaid and make space for others
We look after each other so we can make careful trouble together.
How to submit an expression of interest
Please send a short document (no more than 4 slides or A4 pages in total) to jobs@promisingtrouble.net with the following information:
Tell us about you – your previous experience of similar work, and why you’re interested in this opportunity (no more than 1 page)
An outline of how you would approach the work, detailing (in plain English) how you would go about identifying the necessary data and information, your methods of analysis and modelling, and how you would present your findings (no more than 2 pages)
Lastly, tell us about time and money. We’d like to know your day rate, how you would propose to allocate your time, and what the total cost of the work would be. Please ensure you break down your costs to show how much time and budget would be allocated to the work now, and how much it would cost to re-run the numbers in 2024.
Timeline
Deadline for expressions of interest: Monday 13 March, 09:00 GMT
We will respond by Wednesday 15 March and interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place on Tuesday 21 March.
Get in touch
If you have any questions please contact us on jobs@promisingtrouble.net.