Spinning the Wheel Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 I am applying to Econ PhD this year. My focus whithin economics is on development but no trade and development or the micro-foundations of development. I'm rather interested on the interplay between institutions and development. I am also very interested on all issues regarding public economics, debt dynamics and all institutional aspects that surrounds public finance: electoral cycles, legislative and budget institutions... I have been searching department's web site and so far I have come to the following preliminary list of the schools I am going to apply: Harvard MIT Berkeley Stanford NYU Columbia Wisconsin-Madison Maryland-CP UIUC Brown WUSTL GMUDoes anyone have any suggestion on what other schools should I look at? Or any restriction about the choices I've made so far based on my interests? Any thought is appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquare Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Princeton should definitely be on that list. Anne Case is one of the best in the business, and her expertise is in exactly what you decide. Other excellent development economists at Princeton include Angus Deaton and Chris Paxton, plus those like Dixit who do related work. And their public finance faculty are equally strong. Yale is another school that absolutely belongs on that list. Dean Karlan and Chris Udry are just two of be big names working on related issues there. And Stanford, while obviously an excellent school, is not as strong is the fields you are interested in as in other areas of economics. Personally, I think it would be a mismatch for your interests. Honestly, the same can probably be said for some of the other schools on your list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinning the Wheel Posted May 22, 2006 Author Share Posted May 22, 2006 Princeton should definitely be on that list. Anne Case is one of the best in the business, and her expertise is in exactly what you decide. Other excellent development economists at Princeton include Angus Deaton and Chris Paxton, plus those like Dixit who do related work. And their public finance faculty are equally strong. Yale is another school that absolutely belongs on that list. Dean Karlan and Chris Udry are just two of be big names working on related issues there. And Stanford, while obviously an excellent school, is not as strong is the fields you are interested in as in other areas of economics. Personally, I think it would be a mismatch for your interests. Honestly, the same can probably be said for some of the other schools on your list. Asquare, Tks for your input. I've looked at Princeton and Yale and it seemed to me that they are very focused on the microfoundations of economic development, doing very specific microeconometric work. I lean more to the political economy, institutional aspects of development. As for Stanford I am going to apply there more on behalf of avner greif who has been extensively researching into intitutions one of my passions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freethinker Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Spinning the Wheel, I had very similar interests to yours. I applied to several of the univs in your list and also tried the Oxford MPhil. If you are open to european options, you could look into Oxford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinning the Wheel Posted May 22, 2006 Author Share Posted May 22, 2006 Spinning the Wheel, I had very similar interests to yours. I applied to several of the univs in your list and also tried the Oxford MPhil. If you are open to european options, you could look into Oxford. Freethinker, Thanks for your your advice. I didn't mention in the original post but I am also applying to some European programs: Oxford and Cambridge, Bocconi (Italy) and Stockholm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquare Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Asquare, Tks for your input. I've looked at Princeton and Yale and it seemed to me that they are very focused on the microfoundations of economic development, doing very specific microeconometric work. I lean more to the political economy, institutional aspects of development. That's more or less accurate for Princeton. You're more interested in stuff like Acemoglu, Collier, and North do? Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinning the Wheel Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 That's more or less accurate for Princeton. You're more interested in stuff like Acemoglu, Collier, and North do? Good stuff. Exactly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinning the Wheel Posted May 25, 2006 Author Share Posted May 25, 2006 And What about Boston University? Does anyone know how do they fare in the development economics field? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
can_econ Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I looked into wisconsin, and I noticed that their economics program doens't offer development as a field. They have phds in development studies and in applied economics, though. Because of this structure, I would be hestitant to apply or go there as someone interested in development economics who wants a phd in economics - someone at the program might be able to give better insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinning the Wheel Posted May 25, 2006 Author Share Posted May 25, 2006 I looked into wisconsin, and I noticed that their economics program doens't offer development as a field. They have phds in development studies and in applied economics, though. Because of this structure, I would be hestitant to apply or go there as someone interested in development economics who wants a phd in economics - someone at the program might be able to give better insight. Can-econ, tks for your input. I forgot to mention but at Wisconsin my intention is to apply for the program on development studies. Although, I am still not sure due to employment perspectives afterwards. I believe such choice may limit the job market for university professors and some multilateral institutions/ think tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.