Research Assistant: Business Improvement Districts

Posting Details

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Position Information

Posting Number: 20260302V Position Title: Research Assistant: Business Improvement Districts Posting Type Student Hours/week: 8-10 Eligibility: Work Study ONLY Semester 2026-2027 Academic Year Location Garey Hall Detailed Work Schedule

The student will work up to 159 hours over the course of the appointment, beginning September 1, 2026. Work hours are flexible and will average approximately 8-10 hours per week, depending on the phase of the project and the student's availability. Student is expected to complete assigned tasks in a timely manner and participate in regular meetings with the faculty supervisor, Dr. Theodore Arapis, to discuss project progress, review deliverables, and receive guidance.

Number of positions: 1 Department: 192 - Public Administration Contact Name: Theo Arapis Contact Phone/Extension: (610) 519-3878

Position Summary Information

Job Description Summary:

The Undergraduate Research Assistant will work with Dr. Theodore Arapis on a funded research project examining how Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) influence municipal spending and urban governance in the 100 largest U.S. cities. The project will develop the first national dataset of BIDs by collecting and coding information on governance structures, service delivery, and organizational characteristics, which will be integrated with municipal financial data for statistical analysis.

Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting literature reviews on Business Improvement Districts, municipal finance, and urban governance.
• Collecting and coding data from publicly available sources, including municipal ordinances, annual reports, bylaws, and organizational websites.
• Assisting with the construction, verification, and documentation of a national BID dataset.
• Supporting data management, cleaning, and preparation for statistical analysis.
• Assisting with the preparation of tables, figures, conference presentations, and manuscripts for publication.
• Participating in regular meetings with the faculty supervisor to discuss project progress and research activities.

Requirements:

• Enrollment in Villanova's PSA program
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools, particularly Word and Excel.
• Familiarity with Statistical software, particularly STATA.
• Capacity and interest to learn skills in research, writing, and collaboration.

Additional Information:

This position is supported through a Villanova University internal research grant. The selected student will receive paid research experience while working closely with the faculty investigator on all phases of the project, including data collection, dataset development, and analysis. The project is expected to culminate in a manuscript submitted to a leading public administration journal. Students who make a substantial intellectual contribution to the research will be recognized as co-authors on resulting scholarly publications, consistent with accepted academic authorship standards.

Physical Demands Summary:

Not applicable.

Wage Rate: Hourly wage of $15/hour for approximately 159 hours

Posting Detail Information

Closing Date (11:59pm ET): 09/01/2026 Open Until Filled Yes

Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• • Are you currently a registered Villanova student?

• Yes

• No

• • Are you eligible for work study?

• Yes

• No

• I don't know

• • I understand that satisfactory attendance in all academic classes is required to maintain student employment at Villanova University.

• Yes

• No

• • Have you ever worked on campus before? If "Y", what department and semester/year?

(Open Ended Question)

• • What is your availability (days, times)?

(Open Ended Question)

Optional Applicant Documents:

Required Documents

• Resume / Curriculum Vitae

Optional Documents