As part of our interview series, we ask renowned experts in the field about the future of research in development economics, and for their advice for young researchers. For this interview, we got the opportunity to talk to Dr. Oyebola Okunogbe.
Oyebola Okunogbe is an Economist in the World Bank Development Research Group. She focuses on topics in the intersection of development economics, public finance, and political economy.
ETRM: Thank you so much for joining our interview today. Could you tell us what inspired your interest in working on research in taxation in developing countries?
Oyebola: Thank you for having me. Before graduate school, I worked at a public opinion research firm. Later, during my Master’s in Public Administration for International Development (MPA-ID) at the Kennedy School, we were required to complete a summer internship. Governments and organizations requested interns, and the Liberian Ministry of Finance needed someone to conduct a taxpayer survey. Given my background in public opinion research, I was matched with them.
That experience was my first exposure to taxation. I spent time understanding tax office concerns and speaking with taxpayers. It was a rudimentary survey, but it sparked my interest in how taxation works, how governments collect revenue, and the barriers to tax compliance.
A few years later, during my PhD, I finished my coursework and started thinking about dissertation topics. My mind went back to Liberia as a place where I could deepen my understanding of taxation in practice. My interest really stemmed from trying to understand how governments raise money from citizens and the obstacles to compliance. A big part of my initial survey focused on why citizens choose to pay or not pay taxes and how governments could make the system work better for taxpayers.
ETRM: It sounds like your research interests developed organically from your experiences. That brings us to our next question: How did you build a relationship with the Liberian Revenue Authority to collaborate on your research? And more broadly, what advice would you give to researchers considering collaborations with government institutions?
Oyebola: While I had initial connections from my master’s program, there had been institutional changes by the time I started considering my PhD topics. I returned to Liberia with support from the International Growth Centre (IGC), which had an office there and wanted to provide research products for the government. One of their projects involved helping the government improve real estate tax collection. They funded me to work with the tax office for a few weeks, speaking with different officials to understand the entire tax process—from identifying the tax base to collection and enforcement.
The report I produced for them turned out to be quite valuable. Over the years, as new heads of the tax department came in, they were given my report to help them understand the system. This experience taught me an important lesson: providing something valuable early on in a collaboration can pave the way for future partnerships.
One major issue we identified was that many people were not on the tax database at all. Another issue was that some taxpayers paid one year but not the next. My research aimed to understand how to improve tax compliance on both the extensive and intensive margins.
For researchers looking to collaborate with governments, my advice is to identify where your skills could be useful. Governments are often overwhelmed with day-to-day operations, so they may not always articulate their problems clearly. If you can listen carefully and understand a problem they are facing and proactively offer a potential solution—especially if you’re willing to contribute some free labor—it can be very valuable. This is particularly effective in smaller countries or with subnational governments, where access to officials is more informal and decision-making structures are less hierarchical.
For instance, in Liberia, I could easily meet with the head of real estate taxes and spend hours in the office working on tax-related issues. In contrast, in Nigeria—where I’m originally from—the tax administration is much larger and more hierarchical, making such access more difficult. Understanding the institutional environment is key when thinking about where to engage.
ETRM: That’s very insightful. Was 2013 the year you received IGC funding to return to Liberia?
Oyebola: Yes, I received IGC funding in 2013. When I returned in 2014 to start my research in earnest, I received additional IGC funding.
Another important way to connect with government agencies is through academic advisors. Advisors have broader networks and can help direct you to relevant opportunities.
For example, my second tax project took place in Tajikistan. At the time, I was not yet at the World Bank, but a World Bank team wanted to do a project there. They approached Dina Pomeranz at Harvard Business School (at the time), who was one of my PhD advisors. She couldn’t take on the project due to her workload but suggested that I could work on it under her supervision. This highlights the importance of letting people in your network—especially advisors and established researchers—know what topics interest you. They can connect you with opportunities you might not have found on your own.
A third approach is to look at existing research. If you want to work in a specific country, check who has previously published on that country. They may have worked with relevant government agencies and could help introduce you to the right people.
ETRM: Now we are going to shift gears. Could you walk us through a typical day in your role as an economist at the World Bank? Specifically, what does a day in the life of an economist working in the Development Research Group look like?
Oyebola: Yes, it’s important to clarify that being an economist in the Development Research Group (DECRG) of the World Bank is quite different from working in other parts of the institution.
For instance, economists in the operational arm of the World Bank primarily engage with country counterparts and policymakers, focusing on designing and implementing projects. That interaction is the core of their work. In contrast, my work is primarily conducting research and providing analytical support to our operations colleagues.
My daily activities involve everything in the lifecycle of a project: from conceptualizing ideas in collaboration with policy makers and World Bank colleagues, to reviewing the literature, to designing projects or research studies, to supervising survey firms and research assistants, to analyzing results, and sharing findings to relevant stakeholders.
In the mornings, I often speak with colleagues in Nigeria or Europe, given the time zone differences. In the afternoons, I have meetings with collaborators in the U.S. As much as possible. I try to schedule all my meetings on specific days so that I can dedicate full-day or half-day blocks of time entirely to research.
On my “research days”, I focus on deep work, such as writing papers, running regressions, revising manuscripts, designing surveys, or writing referee reports. The specific tasks vary depending on the stage of a project, but these uninterrupted blocks of time allow me to engage in more complex analytical work. So, my typical work routine is a mix of research, writing, data analysis, and collaboration with partners—all structured to balance productivity and engagement.
ETRM: What do you see as the major differences between conducting research as an economist at the World Bank versus a professor at a university?
Oyebola: There are many similarities in the research we conduct at DECRG and that conducted by university professors: we typically collaborate with academics, we participate in the same conferences and publish in the same journals. I would say the biggest difference between the two roles is that we don’t teach courses. Instead, we spend time working with operational teams at the World Bank. This involves learning about specific projects and helping to address key policy questions. Often, this deep level of engagement in turn shapes our research. As a result, I would say that the average research portfolio of a DECRG researcher has more projects linked with specific policies or programs in countries than the average university professor.
The nature of our engagement with operations varies by project. For example, sometimes a country is designing a new program, such as a social protection initiative or a tax intervention, and our team provides research-based insights on best practices. Our operational colleagues have extensive field experience, having worked on similar programs across different countries. They bring deep practical knowledge, while we contribute insights from research and past studies to guide program design. In other cases, we assist with data analytics, helping to answer specific policy questions. We might also support impact evaluations—assessing the effects of a government intervention by designing and implementing the most appropriate evaluation method for the setting.
These collaborations give us opportunities to be embedded in projects from the beginning, allowing us to contribute in meaningful ways. It’s a unique position that bridges theoretical research with real-world policy implementation. We work directly with governments, helping them solve pressing economic issues, which makes the research highly applied and impactful.
Regarding the career structure in the research department, the first major review happens after four years. If that goes well, a three-year contract extension is granted. At the end of the seventh year, there is a promotion process similar to a tenure review at universities. Researchers submit a packet and a statement, which undergo a formal evaluation. A successful review leads to promotion to Senior Economist, which often comes with an open-ended contract.
ETRM: For Ph.D. students aspiring to join international organizations like the World Bank, what advice would you give to help them prepare and increase their chances of getting a foot in the door?
Oyebola: This ties back to what I mentioned earlier about how my day-to-day work differs from other parts of the organization. DECRG recruits from the same academic job market as universities, following the same interview and flyout process. The most important factor is writing the best possible job market paper you can. Ultimately, that’s what you will be judged on.
Beyond having a strong research paper, it’s crucial to understand and articulate the policy implications of your work. Many graduate students focus heavily on their models and technical details but provide only a superficial discussion of policy relevance. In our unit’s interviews, candidates are often challenged on the real-world implications of their research. You need to be able to go beyond generic responses and offer deeper insights.
One of the best ways to develop this ability is through hands-on experience. If you’ve worked with policymakers, engaged with real-world policy issues, or collaborated with government agencies, this will naturally shape your understanding and help you communicate your research’s policy relevance in a compelling way.
I also encourage PhD students to gain field experience. It’s unlikely that someone would get a position in our unit without any real-world policy engagement. That doesn’t mean you must run a field experiment or conduct a survey yourself, but your research should be deeply informed by actual policy challenges. At the same time, it must meet the highest academic standards in every other aspect. So, my advice is: write an excellent job market paper, engage with real-world policy issues, and make sure you can clearly articulate the broader implications of your research.
ETRM: This is extremely helpful. Thank you so much for your valuable time today!
