US vs. EU PhD programs: placement differences

[fakeo]

I'd be interested in why US and EU PhDs have so drastically different placement records. I mean even the best EU programs tend to place people as post-docs, while in the US this is not common.

 

Interestingly, even when EU students place into US schools, they tend to get post-docs. So it's not like they get post-docs only because they're more common in Europe.

 

Is there really such a gap between US and EU PhD training that justifies this? I didn't really notice any such gaps based on the CVs or some of the working papers of recent graduates/final-year PhD students I've read. The length of the training doesn't seem to differ either. As in the EU you need a Master's to enter a PhD program.

 

Any thoughts on this?

[ZYX]

Whilst more Europe PhDs tend to go to Post-Docs, and it is easier for US PhDs to work in academia in Europe than it is for Europe PhDs to work in academia in the US, the top schools in Europe can still place well. This year UCL had APs at Chicago and Texas Austin, while Toulouse this year placed at UCLA and Columbia (admittedly I think via Post Docs). In the past 4 years LSE have placed at HBS, Berkeley, Indiana, Stanford GSB, Amherst and Marshall at USC, all AP positions. IIES placement is also excellent with regards to USA, as shown below.

 

http://www.iies.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.201880.1409743452!/menu/standard/file/IIESPlacements.pdf

 

Although I don't have a clear answer to your question, I do think that the best can be placed straight into AP positions in the US.

[mcsokrates]

In re: post-docs, I'm not sure. I have a suspicion that given the redistributiveness of most EU states vs. the US, the gap in disposable income between a post-doc and AP might be narrower, and a post-doc in some ways is a cushier deal in terms of workload. That only applies to European post-docs though.