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Ph.D. in Public Policy Vs Economics


IvyBoy

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Hi folks,

 

Do you guys know the difference in difficulty of admissions between a Ph.D. in economics and a Ph.D. in Public Policy? I am especially concerned about if the math requirements for a Ph.D. in public policy are more relaxed and also if public policy programs require experience. I assume that a phd in public policy is relevant for someone who wants to work in WB or IMF or for a career in development. What do you guys think?

 

~IvyBoy

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I don't think a degree in Public Policy can replace a degree in Economics. I don't think Public Policy specialits and Economists do similar work in the World Bank or whatever institution they are employed at. Whether they studied pure economics or applied Economics, most economists at the World Bank are applied economists. So, in stead of Public Policy, I would recommend agricultural, Environmental or development economics. On a different note, I have no idea how the admissions process works for PhD in public policy.
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As somebody currently enrolled in a top-10 masters in public policy (MPP) program, I can tell you the following:

 

There is almost nothing that you can do with a PhD in Public Policy that you can't do with a PhD in Economics. But there is so much out there for which a PhD (or at least masters) in econ or applied econ is absolutely necessary. A PhD in Public Policy simply won't cut it...ESPECIALLY if you want to be competitive for positions in the Bretton Woods institutions.

 

I don't mean to sound like an elitist. I'm getting a lot out of my master's program; I wouldn't be here if I thought it wasn't helpful. But a friend and fellow MPP student with interests similar to yours asked our mutual advisor about the public policy PhD program. Her reply: "Don't do it. I'm on the admissions committee for our public policy PhD, and even I'm not sure what it REALLY prepares you for." Her advice was really more realistic than disparaging. Public policy is interdisciplinary by nature, drawing from econ (though nowhere near the level of rigor of traditional econ programs), political science, organizational theory, etc.

 

Yes, the math requirements for econ are daunting, but that's exactly why the econ PhD is highly valued in places like the World Bank: technical ability, rigorous approaches to both theory and applied research, etc.

 

Sorry if this sounded overly discouraging. Definitely give the PhD in Public Policy some consideration if you plan to go into interdisciplinary academia. But don't do it if your dream is a serious, significant career as a RESEARCHER (which, after all, is what any PhD ultimately prepares you for) in international development. Just my $0.02.

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freelix is right but if you want to get in to an econ program you need to be taking a ton of math now (with good grades). I've read in multiple places that a bachelor's in math is valued over a bachelor's in economics to econ Ph.D. adcoms.
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I agree with the posts above that a Econ Ph.D. would probably be most useful if you want to be an economist focusing on int'l development. However, there are many career paths that relate to international development for which a public policy (or other social science) degree would be just as useful - especially with organizations that don't focus exclusively on economic policy (e.g. UN, State Dept.). (Also, a Master's level degree is probably equally useful as a Ph.D.) I would assume that an Econ degree would only be useful if you really want a math-intensive career - if you're more qualitatively oriented, then you probably should go for a less quantitative field that would lead to a more qualitatively-oriented career.
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