Guys, during my masters I focused on Public Economics and Political Economy. But it turns out that this is what I would really like to do: I enjoy political side of things more than doing econ research, inspite of doing extremely well in my courses and being suitably primed for a PhD.
Have you heard of something like this? Will Pol. Sci depts. take me seriously?
You would certainly be taken seriously by political science graduate programs (assuming you have demonstrated aptitude), but you should think long and hard before transitioning. The job prospects may be less rosy for political scientists versus economists.
This in a nutshell.
The PS market is terrible. Salaries are also very low. I don't think you are prepared for a $65k starting salary as a best case scenario. Unless you are a Harvard superstar, or a blk, or have parents in the field.
You would certainly be taken seriously by political science graduate programs (assuming you have demonstrated aptitude), but you should think long and hard before transitioning. The job prospects may be less rosy for political scientists versus economists.
It really depends on your race and gender. If you are black or Latino and/or a women, then you can pretty much go whichever direction you would like to. On the other hand, if you are a white or Asian male, you should stick with economics. Like many other fields, political science is engaging in a pattern of racial and gender discrimination that is part of the DEI movement at so many universities. Economics is infected with this as well, but my sense is that it has been more difficult for DEI discrimination to work its way into the hiring process in Economics. In political science, if you are a white or Asian male, there is no guarantee that you can publish your way out of your race and gender. There are many searches in which white/Asian male candidates with stellar research records are discarded to support diversity candidates with mediocre records. Until SCOTUS steps in to put a stop to this kind of racial and gender discrimination, I have a hard time encouraging non-diversity students to pursue a Ph.D. in political science.
Don't do it. I did this precise thing, and my career prospects suffered as a result.
I fully understand wanting to switch, and from a research perspective I was much happier doing what was essentially applied economics. I found the research more interesting and ironically more relevant than econ work, even if the government and general public dismiss political science work. When it came to a career, though, I realized that I had made a serious mistake.
OP, you're better off doing an econ phd at a low ranking place that will maybe let you do more applied work or political economy than you are doing a phd at a top ranking poli sci dept.
Guys, during my masters I focused on Public Economics and Political Economy. But it turns out that this is what I would really like to do: I enjoy political side of things more than doing econ research, inspite of doing extremely well in my courses and being suitably primed for a PhD.
Have you heard of something like this? Will Pol. Sci depts. take me seriously?
I don't understand. What, exactly, is the reason given in this post to make you worry they won't take you seriously?