Political Economy of African Development

[balderdash]

What do people think about non-American institutions with respect to a PhD focusing on Political Economy of African Development?

Any thoughts on SOAS, Oxford, LSE?

SOAS is massively heterodox, so while the training will be excellent, it won't necessarily endear you to American academics who disagree normatively and methodologically (think Chris Cramer). Cambridge is roughly the same, and there are few people who work on the political economy of Africa - the superstars are, like Ha-Joon Chang, focused on Asia. Oxford and LSE, however, are right where you want to be. The former has the CSAE and a vibrant Development Studies group, both of which have strong representation in the issues you've raised. LSE is massive, and has a number of groups/bodies that focus on the same. (I'd list the people at each institution, but honestly I think everyone reading this thread already knows who they are.)

[aecp]

SOAS is massively heterodox, so while the training will be excellent, it won't necessarily endear you to American academics who disagree normatively and methodologically (think Chris Cramer). Cambridge is roughly the same, and there are few people who work on the political economy of Africa - the superstars are, like Ha-Joon Chang, focused on Asia. Oxford and LSE, however, are right where you want to be. The former has the CSAE and a vibrant Development Studies group, both of which have strong representation in the issues you've raised. LSE is massive, and has a number of groups/bodies that focus on the same. (I'd list the people at each institution, but honestly I think everyone reading this thread already knows who they are.)

Thanks balderdash.

If my concern is not with American academia but with an African, international policy making audience, and most importantly with getting excellent training and preparation, then would SOAS not be a viable option. I am more concerned with academic training and preparation than reputation Yes, Oxford's CSAE is very attractive. Am I correct in saying that at Oxford I would most likely have to be positoned in the Oxford Economics Dept (that hosts CSAE) and not their Political & Inter Relations Dept. What would you recommend? There does not seem to be an interdisciplinary Phd at Oxford similar to Harvard's PEG program. Or am I missing something. If there is no true joint Political Science-Economics PhD at Oxford, what department would your recommend pursuing the Phd in at Oxford given my interests.

I am familiar with some of the names at Oxford and LSE but please feel free to educate me. At Oxford, I'm aware of Profs Collier, Fafchamps, and Venables in Economics and Profs Soares De Oliveira and Cheeseman in Politics. At LSE, I am aware of Prof Besley. Please let me know whom I am missing.

Finally, what would you think about SOAS for a Masters in say Political Economy of Devleopment then going on to Oxford for the PhD...in Economics (?) or Political Science (?)?

[saltlakecity2012]

Thanks balderdash.

If my concern is not with American academia but with an African, international policy making audience, and most importantly with getting excellent training and preparation, then would SOAS not be a viable option. I am more concerned with academic training and preparation than reputation Yes, Oxford's CSAE is very attractive. Am I correct in saying that at Oxford I would most likely have to be positoned in the Oxford Economics Dept (that hosts CSAE) and not their Political & Inter Relations Dept. What would you recommend? There does not seem to be an interdisciplinary Phd at Oxford similar to Harvard's PEG program. Or am I missing something. If there is no true joint Political Science-Economics PhD at Oxford, what department would your recommend pursuing the Phd in at Oxford given my interests.

I am familiar with some of the names at Oxford and LSE but please feel free to educate me. At Oxford, I'm aware of Profs Collier, Fafchamps, and Venables in Economics and Profs Soares De Oliveira and Cheeseman in Politics. At LSE, I am aware of Prof Besley. Please let me know whom I am missing.

Finally, what would you think about SOAS for a Masters in say Political Economy of Devleopment then going on to Oxford for the PhD...in Economics (?) or Political Science (?)?

Oxford and LSE would be great places for you. Like balderdash said, Oxford doesn't have a political economy specialization, but the development studies program could be exactly what you've been looking for. You would have the opportunity to do political science, history, languages, econ, policy, area studies, and a bunch of other stuff that would be an excellent preparation for doing development-oriented research. I would look at it very closely - I applied to the MPhil in development studies there for this year. LSE is also a great place for people who are more policy-minded.

[waxwings]

I'm not sure if the Public Policy PhD would be a better fit or not. Honestly most people I know doing that degree are domestically-focused, but that's not necessarily representative. The thing about the Public Policy degree though is you could do it as a follow-on; you can apply to the MPP and then at the end of your first year choose to apply to continue with the PhD. Not the most efficient process, but worth thinking about.

On the second point I would also add that if you're going outside academia it's important to weigh the "name brand" or recognition/reputation of the schools you're considering. Not to beat up on anywhere in particular, but for the World Bank et al, having a degree from a school that comes to mind as a "top 20" university is more important than coming from a program that is well-respected as an African politics powerhouse by a very niche group of political scientists.

I'm entering the public policy PhD program at HKS in the fall, and my impression is that the internationally focused students outnumber the domestically focused students in most years. And a lot of people study development and/or have backgrounds working for JPAL/IPA prior to entering the program. PP is also easier to get into than PEG, so if you're interested in working with people at Harvard (professors in the poli sci and econ departments as well as those in HKS), I think it's a great idea to apply to that program. PP would also be a good fit for the OP given the program's more explicit bent towards policy. I'm also interested in development in Africa, and am pretty optimistic about being able to find people to work with. But it's probably true that most other public policy PhD programs are more domestically focused (and are probably even smaller), though I think PP as a concept is flexible and hybrid enough that you could probably study whatever you wanted to provided you had access to the right faculty.

I can't really comment on poli sci programs, but I just went through the whole process of applying to econ programs with a focus on development (and also seriously weighing getting a PhD vs. masters, and all of that other fun stuff), so let me know if you have any questions in that regard (and are interested in my vaguely more definitive opinions). Another thought regarding PEG is that you could probably construct your own PEG-like program at any other poli sci or econ program, so I wouldn't fixate on trying to get into a program with the words "political economy and government" explicitly built into its name.

[brent09]

I tend to agree with previous posts, for what it matters. If you're looking outside of academia, the brand of the institution becomes exponentially more important. Think of it this way: a hopeful academic might avoid Cornell or Brown (save for specific niches, like the Constructivist school at Cornell) BUT the Ivy League "brand" would carry considerably more weight than, say, the Univsersity of North Carolina, if you were applying outside of academic circles.

And, of course, the networks you could make somewhere like HKS (or similar) is invaluable. Political science programs generally target academic trajectories, and accordingly are useful for such networks. A place like HKS will situate you to connect with future WB/IMF/UN officials, future diplomats and national leaders (such as, I believe, Mlle. Johnson-Sirleaf) that will be invaluable to your future career.

In all probability, a top-20 in either PSCI or PP would situate you fine. It's the few cases (like bigger state schools) that might excel in one area (like UGA in PP or UNC, OSU, etc in Psci) that might give you a slight moment's hesitation.