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A few thoughts on working in policy research as an Economics PhD. A thread that could be interesting for Econ JMCs in light of a shortage of academic jobs, but hopefully not just because of that.
cc @graykimbrough
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cc @graykimbrough
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Some personal background: I left my tenure-track job @universityofga after 4 years to join the Health Unit @MathematicaNow a year ago, so I believe I'm in a good position to compare academic to policy research jobs.
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One thing that motivated me to switch jobs was the policy relevance of my new work. Although academic researchers can have influence on policy making this is not very common in my experience.
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In contrast, my work @MathematicaNow directly informs policy making. For example, I'm currently directing a project that will likely have a direct impact on whether a state legalizes recreational cannabis.
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In terms of methods, my evaluation work has lots of similarities with academic research. Econ PhDs are usually tasked with estimating causal impacts of the policies we study, so the skill set of an applied microeconomist is highly relevant.
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In addition to using quasi-experimental methods, policy research probably makes it more likely to be exposed to using experimental methods. For example, I work on a project in which 1000s of Medicare beneficiaries are randomly assigned to receiving care coordination.
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Personally, I find working on interdisciplinary project teams very rewarding. In addition to other economists, I work with clinicians, statisticians, data scientists, and health services researchers who all bring their perspective and experience to the table.
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At the same time, I work with senior economists who are highly regarded experts in their fields and who are willing to mentor their junior colleagues. There are probably more senior economists @MathematicaNow than at most econ departments.
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A big difference for me is the work-life-balance compared to academic work. I'm typically not expected to work more than 40 hours a week, and night and weekend work is rare. Although I have to fill out a time sheet daily, work hours are quite flexible.
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Although I can't spend 3 months during the summer in some random place to do research, I can actually go on vacation for 2 weeks without having to think about my work at all. Maybe some academics also do that, but in my experience that's rare.
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Overall, I find my new job less stressful despite usually tighter deadlines. Once I complete a work product, I don't have to worry what referees or editors think about it. This doesn't mean it's not rigorously checked in an internal quality assurance process.
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Finally, the overall atmosphere is quite different from academic economics. Although as a white male, I have personally not suffered much from the sometimes hostile environment that many have pointed out here recently, I find the environment @MathematicaNow more supportive
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... and friendly. This may also be related to the fact that over 2/3 of our staff, including senior management, are women.
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Obviously, this thread is entirely based on my personal experience, but I'm very happy to have made the switch and would highly recommend it to any health/labor/education/development economist on the market. Happy to chat with any interested JMCs.
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One thing I forgot to mention: with offices in major cities all over the country, @MathematicaNow is a great option for people doing a dual job search.
