Laboratory: Creativity, Motivations, Technology - CreMTech Economic Research Center
Position type: Internship / Research Assistantship
Duration: 150-300
Location: University of Cassino and Southern Lazio (on-site or remote collaboration)
Description
The CreMTech Laboratory is seeking a Research Assistant to contribute to a project investigating the global trends of reshoring and nearshoring by multinational firms. The aim of the internship is to build a structured and harmonized database that tracks relocation decisions, motivations, and sectoral or geographical patterns of production reorganization.
The database will be developed by combining existing public sources and, where possible, new evidence gathered through interviews or surveys with multinational companies.
Main tasks
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Conduct a systematic review of databases and reports documenting reshoring and nearshoring cases worldwide (e.g. ERSA ReLocate database, EPO/OECD data on reshoring patents, fDi Markets, OECD AMNE, Eurofound Reshoring Monitor, Reshoring Initiative database).
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Collect information on company-level and sectoral relocation cases, including firm name, home and host countries, industry classification, year, and motivation (costs, risk, supply chain resilience, etc.).
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Harmonize heterogeneous sources into a single relational database, ensuring consistency in variable definitions and classifications (e.g. ISIC/NACE sectors, UN M49 regions).
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If feasible, assist in designing and piloting a short survey or semi-structured interview protocol to collect additional firm-level insights on reshoring drivers and barriers.
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Prepare summary statistics and visual mappings (by sector, geography, and period) to support ongoing CreMTech research on global production reconfiguration.
Requirements
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Bachelor’s or Master’s student in Economics, International Business, or Data Science.
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Strong interest in global value chains, international business strategy, and economic geography.
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Basic skills in data collection and organization (Excel, Stata, or R).
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Analytical and communication skills suitable for structured interviews or survey administration (if applicable).
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Good command of English for reading reports and international sources.
Learning outcomes
The intern will gain:
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Knowledge of the main data sources and typologies used in reshoring research.
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Experience in building and harmonizing international databases.
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Understanding of how firms reorganize production networks in response to economic, technological, and geopolitical shifts.
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Opportunity to engage in applied research on global value chains and industrial policy within the CreMTech lab.