Politicians/elected officials are better off taking political science, or, better yet, law, based on what most elected officials have. My econ ta first semester ran for local office and did well in the primary, but not well enough. He was MPP.
No, most of us MPP’s go on to the lofty office of … Bureaucrat. And that’s right where I’m heading at present. =)
Surprisingly, bureaucrats do alot of important and unappreciated shit.
Hence the occasional cheery essay about the breakdown of various components of civilization with the attendant looting, slaughter, misery and suffering which can be found in my journal. =)
It’s not a rare or esoteric one, particularly not if one includes both Public Affairs and Public Policy degrees together (which one really ought to).
But it’s typically either in its own department. I’ve seen it mixed with planning (like at my school) or in with “human ecology” at cornell. But I’ve never seen it with political science. They are two very different fields. My impression is that Poli Sci focuses on group dynamics and how groups make decisions, sharing a great deal with sociology and social psychology. Public Policy focuses more on what the consequences of public decisions are, sharing space with things like economics and statistics more than political science does.
The two definitely overlap and complement one another, but they are definitely different. I’m a very non-poli-sci polwonk. =)
Thanks for the information – it makes sense. My best friend is a professor of human ecology, but his first Ph.D. was in social psychology. I will surprise him next time we chat by mentioning the MPP 🙂 How much longer do you have before you finish your degree? I will be moving to the twin cities next week to look for a job…
MPP?
Master’s Degree in Public Policy.
oy.
to be… a politician? elected official? something like that?
Politicians/elected officials are better off taking political science, or, better yet, law, based on what most elected officials have. My econ ta first semester ran for local office and did well in the primary, but not well enough. He was MPP.
No, most of us MPP’s go on to the lofty office of … Bureaucrat. And that’s right where I’m heading at present. =)
Surprisingly, bureaucrats do alot of important and unappreciated shit.
good luck!
yes i know you(they) do!
Hence the occasional cheery essay about the breakdown of various components of civilization with the attendant looting, slaughter, misery and suffering which can be found in my journal. =)
Is the MPP a common degree, or are there certain universities which specialize in it? Is it part of the political science department?
It’s not a rare or esoteric one, particularly not if one includes both Public Affairs and Public Policy degrees together (which one really ought to).
But it’s typically either in its own department. I’ve seen it mixed with planning (like at my school) or in with “human ecology” at cornell. But I’ve never seen it with political science. They are two very different fields. My impression is that Poli Sci focuses on group dynamics and how groups make decisions, sharing a great deal with sociology and social psychology. Public Policy focuses more on what the consequences of public decisions are, sharing space with things like economics and statistics more than political science does.
The two definitely overlap and complement one another, but they are definitely different. I’m a very non-poli-sci polwonk. =)
Thanks for the information – it makes sense. My best friend is a professor of human ecology, but his first Ph.D. was in social psychology. I will surprise him next time we chat by mentioning the MPP 🙂 How much longer do you have before you finish your degree? I will be moving to the twin cities next week to look for a job…
Longer than next week. May, in theory. =)
Also, how did you run across my journal? =)
I don’t even remember how I stumbled into it, but it was sometime last summer – maybe mid-June.
Cool, well, hope you enjoy the reading. =)