Is development economics my dream job?

March 28, 2016 1:22 PM

I've read a couple of articles about development economics (randomized sample; 'the poverty lab'; data based intervention; etc), and I'm very intrigued. Caveat: I've never taken a course in economics. I'm pretty skeptical of economics as a field overall, but would be willing to slog through some coursework in order to work on this particular topic. Is it worth it, or should I keep looking for my career path?

I'm trying to find the field that I want to sink my teeth into for the next few years, and likely go to graduate school in. I graduated 1.5 years ago with a history degree, lots of language and tech skills, and international research experience. I did not take any quantitative courses.

I read this article about Esther Duflo, and was really taken by her path from historian (my current training) to economist, and recognized my interests and methods of thinking in some of her work. I find her work interesting because of the analysis of human behavior, real world application and testing of theory, data analysis, and intention to alleviate suffering.

I've looked at entry level positions in her lab -- I think I would be well qualified, except for the lack of background in economics. I have a substantial freelance business in research, speak multiple languages, have lived in the developing world, and love strategic and analytic policy work. The position that I linked does not seem particularly economics heavy, but they still require "a bachelor’s degree with significant training in economics, including intermediate-level economics, econometrics, and calculus." I definitely do not have that, and could not fake it.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the amount and difficulty of coursework that would be required in order to qualify myself for a position like this. I have taken single-variable calculus, and am currently taking college-level statistics for economists. While math doesn't come easily to me, I can do it. Given my lack of interest in economics overall, would it be worth it to take an economics sequence? Would I qualify myself for other jobs that share the interesting characteristics of this one? I can't imagine myself working in a quantitative job that didn't have a significant human and humanitarian element, and don't want to waste my time with this if it will not take me closer to my goals.

As an aside, I am lucky to have a great, stable job right now, and free access to courses for credit at a prestigious institution through my employer. I can take all the math and econ that I want, and get grades and a transcript. I don't need recommendations for OCW or Coursera, and can invest time and energy in this project while working full time indefinitely.

As an aside, my training in history is extraordinarily critical of international development and non-profit work (with good reason). For this reason, I've never considered study or pursuit of this kind of work before. I am slowly trying to find the middle ground between neocolonialist interventionism and leaving people to fend for themselves in challenging situations -- it is not easy to know. I would love to hear thoughtful criticism and/or endorsement of this approach to development, and the role of economics within it.

posted by femmegrrr to Work & Money (10 answers total)

If math doesn't come easily, skip Econ. They give Nobel Prizes for it. It's that specialized and specific. Also, there are math whizzes who have been grooming for post-grad work for years. So your chances of getting into a program aren't all that great.

Now, that's not to say that if you really think you might have an interest that you shouldn't give it a try. You have nothing to lose. But don't be upset if you can't master econ. The math....it's a killer.

Are there other occupations within that realm that might scratch your itch? Have you checked out UN jobs for example?
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:38 PM on March 28, 2016

I'm not sure whether you're considering full-time grad school or want to stay in your job and study part time. If it helps, a master's program in development economics is offered by Williams College.
posted by JimN2TAW at 2:10 PM on March 28, 2016

The cliche is that economics is for failed mathematicians. (The charitable version is that economists are practical mathematicians.) With enough work, you might get into a PhD econ program; it's highly unlikely that you will get into a good program. (Advice for Aspiring Economists.)

But those programs are generally aimed at creating researchers. If you're interested in the policy/practitioner side (e.g., working for government or nonprofit), you'd likely be better off in a master's program that focuses on international development. You'll be able to take plenty of econ there.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 2:23 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

FYI, that master's program at Williams is intended for mid-career professionals from developing countries. I took classes there as an Econ major and it is designed for a specific purpose and would not be a good fit for your goals, more than likely.
posted by MadamM at 2:33 PM on March 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

The things you mention being interested in are the current 'hot topics' in development econ, which means that lots and lots of very qualified people will be chasing those jobs - a job at JPAL for development economists is like a job at Google for IT folks. I'm not saying that to discourage you, just trying to help you set your expectations. Development jobs generally are highly sought after, and many will require a masters just to get your foot in the door - will your employer enable you to get a degree, or just credit for individual courses? If you wanted to progress beyond entry level in a research role, that would need a PhD.

Also, these topics are only one small part of economics and development economics, so you'll have to wade through a lot of potentially less interesting stuff to get there.

I agree that unless you want to become an academic researcher you might be better to look at economics-focused policy or public affairs masters program. Do your homework on this - they vary widely in the level and rigor of math and economics that they offer - but a good one will be designed to teach this stuff to a non-economist.

On your last paragraph - the approach of Duflo, JPAL and related work are somewhat controversial - it's not my field so I don't know the details, but my general understanding is that many people see the approach of the "randomistas" (probably a useful search term if you haven't already gone digging into it) as oversimplifying very complex problems, asking very narrow questions, and dismissing other possible approaches. You might also want to read some of Chris Blattman's blog - he's a randomista but has some thoughtful critiques of the field e.g. here and here and here. He's a political scientist not an economist, but there's a lot of overlap in methodology (see also his "Should I go to grad school?" post - I know that's not your exact question but the info may be useful).

More generally, if you're looking for fields that use the tools of economics to critique the field and try and improve it, you might want to read up on feminist economics and behavioral economics - the latter is also a topic of serious focus right now for both developed and developing world policymakers.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 6:50 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

You sound like a much better fit for development sociology and other programs that look both critically and practically at development issues. You can sidestep a lot of the math, while still engaging with real world issues.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:14 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Maybe public health in developing countries would be of interest. I found the math required for my public health degree quite manageable, and it seems like it would be in the general area of your interests.
posted by lakeroon at 7:22 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

I recommend that you keep up the math courses while you're deciding. There's often a threshold of math you need to critique math-heavy fields (whether you innately need it, to understand their reasoning, or it's merely an HR or jargon threshold). In this respect, the master's tools can do a great job of taking down the master's house.

Also, since you have lots of experience and a complicated goal, you may find that you enjoy applying the math even if you don't enjoy acquiring it.
posted by clew at 12:24 PM on March 29, 2016

I'm currently doing an MPH (public health) and there's a lot of people in my program who are doing amazing, very practical work to improve the lives of people in developing countries and there isn't nearly as much ambiguity as there is with development economics, which has been actively harmful to developing countries in the past. There are also plenty of public health specializations that don't require too much math (though you'd need some, mostly statistics) and the job market is good if you're in DC or Atlanta--also, your international experience would make you a good candidate for many of these jobs. Also, look for international development Master's programs at places like SAIS (Johns Hopkins), SIPA at Columbia and maybe the Kennedy School, which are very international. I think considering a Ph.D in economics without having ever taken an economics course isn't a great idea and these are definitely extremely competitive and highly, highly math-intensive programs.
posted by armadillo1224 at 12:52 PM on March 29, 2016

Also, I just saw that you mentioned JPAL in your post. Two of my classmates in my public health Master's program have interviewed for positions there, so there are routes into positions like that that don't involve having a degree in economics. You can take lots of economics courses or do a specialization in economics in a public policy/public administration/international affairs/public health Master's program and be qualified.
posted by armadillo1224 at 1:00 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]