polecon09

Here's mine - feedback is welcome. On reading the back of a protestor’s t-shirt at the Battle in Seattle that said, “Aims of the WTO: Increase Profit, Decrease Democracy,” I had an overwhelming sense that my generation has little faith in international organizations’ capacity to regulate global commerce. International organizations depend on their members to make up rules and the means to enforce those rules. Member states, however, have varied political and economic standing, and allegiances to interest groups and voters. I am fascinated by the process of cooperation in international rulemaking and enforcement, especially as the rules extend to cover agriculture and the environment. To earn my PhD, I intend to conduct empirical research on the impact and effectiveness of international institutions’ regulations. My commitment to international political economy, demonstrated by my previous research, makes me uniquely qualified to pursue graduate studies in the Political Economy program in the Department of Political Science at XXX. My initial foray into research at UC Berkeley explored the role of agricultural trade in Mexico and Brazil’s economic development. As agriculture came under WTO rulemaking in the 1990’s, developing nations demanded a bigger voice in negotiations and fervently protested American and European agricultural protectionism. In my development theory classes I learned to approach development as both the evolution of capitalism as an uneven process, and as the concerted effort by the First World to intervene in the Third World. Under the guidance of Professor XXX, my honor’s thesis accordingly explored how agricultural trade caused inequality in Mexico and Brazil and stunted their economic growth. Agreements to deregulate agriculture in the WTO Uruguay Round have been less than successful. As a result, I found that American agricultural price subsidies continue to create economic losses for net food exporters, such as Brazil. What negotiations have accomplished, interestingly, is that the US has now made itself vulnerable to legal complaints over its agricultural protection. For example, Brazil may threaten to renege on its intellectual property rights agreement in order to pressure the US to conform to its agricultural commitments. I suspect that future research could show that the legal forum has important implications vis-à-vis negotiations in restricting who benefits and who is likely to be liable, and therefore has an incentive to comply. In my work at XXX, I research a variety of policies and legal matters. I have the opportunity to construct arguments based on empirical evidence on the economic effects of environmental regulation, patent infringement, and race and gender discrimination. I recently co-authored a paper with Professors XXX and XXX that is in its second round of review with the Journal of Law and Economics. I elected to use an instrument to obtain consistent estimates for the effect of federal critical habitat designation on land prices despite potential endogeneity. Using instrumental variables regression we show that the effect of critical habitat is still significant and larger in magnitude than without. Coming from a background in Agricultural and Resource Economics, I am motivated to find quantifiable evidence for non-market goods. For example, economists can estimate the benefit of clean air by analyzing indirect market evidence or conducting contingent valuation studies. In my future research, I hope to incorporate politics into economic analysis, explicitly by quantifying the effect of political “goods,” such as standing or reputation, and indirectly, by incorporating political ideas into an economic framework. My proposed research for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship examines the effects of WTO accession on food prices and food price volatility in developing countries. In light of the global food crisis, I question if it is in developing countries’ best interests to be in the WTO given that WTO membership will preclude them from shielding themselves from external shocks through protectionist measures. Although research on WTO effects on trade has been conducted, an ex post comprehensive study on the effect of WTO membership on prices is absent from the current body of knowledge. This research will draw upon my knowledge of economic theory and statistical methods as they apply to the world food economy, which I gained by taking a doctoral econometrics sequence during my Masters program at UC Davis. I would like to further contribute to studying the effect of WTO membership on commodity prices, by examining how countries build support for agricultural trade liberalization and food security strategies. For instance, one proposal for a developing country insurance strategy is the formation of a regional food reserve. Cooperation can prove challenging, however, between hostile nations or when food prices are low. My primary field of interest is international political economy. At this point, I am drawn to the sub-disciplines of international trade, economic development and global governance. I recently read Dani Rodrik’s statement that, “What we need is a vision of globalization that is fully cognizant of its limits.” Indeed, if not “maximum openness” then what are the objectives of international economic policies? Large bodies of literature show that trade openness stimulates growth, which may be cause enough to promote openness. Yet, growth has not occurred evenly geographically or temporally. I would like to examine why certain countries have maximized the benefits of global commerce to propel their growth, while other countries have not. I wonder what the limits to globalization are and whether the limits to globalization could hamper growth: for example, is growth limited by international organizations’ incomplete enforcement? In fact, in the face of maximum openness nations could be exposed to potentially volatile market forces if corporations, goods, and money are not judiciously regulated. I would like to study the relationship between trade policy, environmental and labor regulation, and consumer protection. In the decades to come, nations may need to incorporate more stringent protections in international policy. It remains to be seen how far non-state actors will influence international organizations’ negotiations. I suspect that non-state actors, such as non-governmental organizations and corporations, have filled in the gap left by international organizations’ limited enforcement ability. I am drawn to understanding the formation and transformation of the global power structure. My career aspiration is to conduct research and teach international political economy at a research university. I am applying to XXX program because of its faculty’s expertise in international economic policy, governance and methods. Specifically, I would like to study with X, X and X. X has many resources for international studies which I feel I would be a good fit for, including its Center for XX and the XX. With a PhD from XX, I am confident I will be able to shape the policy debate on critical issues in the world economy.

and another princeton rejection...i am pretty disheartened, but at least i didn't even apply to columbia! i'm really hoping for an east coast admit next week (not even really daring to fantasize about the H-bomb).

another berkeley reject here and alum...3.9 gpa, honor's thesis, blah blah...weirdly not too upset by this one, but hoping that there will be better news coming our way.

one more on wanting to hear about UCSD funding info!

i don't know if this helps but a friend at cal told me yesterday that they are still in "the full throws of admissions" there

truth

yep, cali all the way here i'm planning on doing the southern segment of the AT (georgia to virginia), then probably go to high sierra music fest, and who knows - burning man...the world is my oyster!

i'm planning on quitting my job, hiking the appalachian trail, and going to lots of festivals! yay freedom!

In at San Diego!!!

got my official rejection from stanford - i live pretty close i guess.

"Apparently they're doing two rounds of admissions, so people who have yet to hear back are still in the running." Any hope that that is what Stanford is doing?

Many congrats - I hope you're celebrating!

Undergrad in (Int'l) Development and Masters in Ag. & Resource Economics, maybe not too far a cry from IPE...not like neuroscience

Stanford (makes me sad to think about my chances...), and Davis for Ag Econ (let me back in!), and well, anywhere that will take me in.

agreed

hello! i've been following this site for long enough that i am overdue for a post. i'm applying for international relations to do IPE. as for stats: Undergrad: top public, 3.9 GPA Grad: public, ag & resource economics, 3.7 GPA GRE: 720Q, 680V, 5.0A (this year) and 740Q, 630V, 4.5A (four years ago) Teacher's Assistant experience 2 quarters Experience: economic consulting 1 submitted econ co-author publication, top journal i am nervously applying to: georgetown, uc san diego, uc berkeley, stanford, nyu, harvard, princeton, mit advice on more safeties welcome!!

Different poster here - but I'd also be interested in any suggestions East Coast or elsewhere. Thanks!

hi - i am new to this forum and relatively new to political science. i am planning on applying for poli sci ph.d. programs this fall. i have a background in international development (undergrad) and economics (masters). i want to do a international political economy program, i'm interested in topics like trade, foreign direct investment, and international regulation of multinational corporations. i would like the program to be quantitative, or to at least have the option for me to take econ and statistics classes. i don't know who the major players (professors) are in these fields in poli sci and which schools are best and which mid-tier? also, how specific do i need to be in my interests when applying? thank you for any advice you can lend! p.s. if i've cowritten a paper with 2 professors (which i hope to be published) should i send this in as my writing sample or something i wrote on my own?