So, I think I'd ultimately like to do a policy or political economy Ph.D such as the one at WWS or Harvard's Political Economy and Government program. I'd like to focus on the political economy of development (migration in particular).
However, I know that these programs are ridiculously competitive...and I just have an undergrad degree right now, and I don't know if this would be perceived as rigorous enough. I'm trying to decide whether I should just go for masters for the moment...
I went to an Ivy and doubled in econ and IR and have strong grades and math preparation but some of my intermediate and upper level econ classes were Bs.
I have 3 years of central bank research experience and several (unrelated) major research grants under my belt, though - and should have good letters from both political scientists and economists discussing my econometric and programming abilities.
To those of you who are applying or have applied to policy PhD programs, what kind of work experience did you have? what kinds of quantitative preparation? is it imperative to get an MPP or something prior to applying for PhD programs like the ones I mentioned above?
Thanks!