IDB. Research Department and Behavioral Economics Intern

*This is a 2 months paid internship with location in our Headquarters in Washington DC. We offer visa sponsorship.

IDB- 2026 Summer Internship Program

Graduate Intern

Location: Washington, D.C. United States

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.

About This Position

The IDB Group is looking for an active graduate student to be hired as an intern under the Consultant modality.

The 2026 Summer Internship Program is a competitive paid opportunity, based in Headquarters, for university students from member countries to learn about development work and corporate management of the Bank, and to acquire work experience at the professional level through on-the-job learning.

What you’ll do

• Prepare clear, impactful briefs and reports that communicate key insights and recommendations from behavioral projects in health, heuristics training, financial inclusion, and other development sectors.
• Engage in knowledge-sharing sessions and workshops to foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning in behavioral economics and its application to address global challenges.
• Support the full cycle of behavioral interventions from diagnosis and design to evaluation and reporting.
• Develop practical skills in behavioral economics research and intervention design through hands-on involvement in multiple projects.
• Conduct literature reviews on behavioral economics interventions in development projects, summarizing key findings and identifying gaps for further research.

What you'll need

• Education: An active graduate student in behavioral science, economics and/or psychology from an accredited University. The graduation date should be after the Internship period.
• Languages: Fluency in English with a working knowledge of one other Bank language (Spanish, French, or Portuguese) is a plus.
• Key Skills: learn continuously, collaborate and share knowledge, focus on clients, communicate and influence, innovate and try new things
• Technical skills: Strong analytical skills, applying quantitative and qualitative empirical methods, and using statistical software such as STATA and R for data analysis. A solid understanding of behavioral insights is essential.

Requirements

• Citizenship: Be a national of an IDB member country.
• Active student: enrolled in a graduate (master’s or Ph.D.) program as of the starting date of the internship program. The graduation date should be after the Internship period.
• Consanguinity: Not have family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB or IDB Invest.
• First job at the IDB Group: Be a first-time participant in an Internship Program held by the Bank or Inter-American Investment Corporation (“Corporation” also known as “IDB Invest”). In addition, you have not been a former staff member, Complementary Workforce (“CW”), contractor for the Bank or the Corporation, or have previously provided services to the Bank or the Corporation through a contractor or under any other contractual modality.

Notes

• Submit your resume, academic transcripts (official or unofficial), and university letter certifying your student status when applying.
• If you submit an unofficial academic transcript at the time of applying, you will be requested to present an official one if moving forward.
• Academic transcripts and university letters should be issued within the last three months.
• For graduate students a minimum of 50% of coursework must be completed when applying.
• Applications without the requested documentation will be disqualified.
• Save each file in a PDF format with your name and subject.
• DO NOT send copies of your degree certificates or other courses.
• You must be available to work full-time (40 hours per week) from June 16 to August 15, 2026. These dates are fixed and cannot be modified. Interns must complete their assignments within this period.
• If you are an international student in the U.S.A., your work authorization is through CPT or OPT. Consult your school advisor before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week, many international students are limited to working part-time, depending on their academic standing.

Type of contract and duration

• Type of contract: Intern Consultant
• Length of contract: Two (2) months
• Dates of the contract: June 16th to August 15th, 2026
• Location: Washington, D.C. – United States of America

Our culture

At the IDB, we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work while finding their purpose. Our people consistently strive for excellence, and we recognize and celebrate the impact of their contributions.

In our efforts to drive innovation, we intentionally include all voices, cultivate a sense of belonging and champion fairness. We welcome individuals from underrepresented groups to join us and share their unique perspectives.

We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job interview process. If you require an accommodation to complete this application, please email us at [email protected].