As of Fall 2022, the PhD in Political Economy and Government (PEG) will no longer be admitting students. Students may apply to the PhD Program in Public Policy (PPOL), or consider the or the .
The PEG program will continue with the outlined course requirements for students who matriculated in Fall 2021. ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø will continue to fully fund and support all current PEG students until they have completed the program and graduated. However, going forward, prospective students will no longer be able to apply to or be admitted to the PEG program.
Prospective students interested in focusing on an economics or political science perspective of political economy are encouraged to apply to the PhD programs offered by the and the at the or the PhD Program in Public Policy (PPOL) tracks: Economics and Politics and Institutions (Political Science).
History of the PhD in Political Economy and Government
Dating to the 1930s, the PhD Program in Political Economy and Government (PEG) was initiated with the objective of fostering research at the intersection of Economics and Political Science. A collaborative program between Harvard Kennedy School, the Department of Economics, and the Department of Government, PEG emphasized positive—as opposed to normative—political economy. The PEG program combines rigorous training in economics, formal theory, and quantitative empirical methods with a substantive focus on the interaction between economic and political institutions and processes. Students combine coursework from the Department of Economics and the Department of Government for an interdisciplinary program of study.
Students and faculty members in the PEG program share an intellectual interest in the impact of politics on economic processes and outcomes, and the reciprocal influence of economic conditions on political life. It covers research areas as diverse as international economic relations, financial economics, political development, political and economic institutions, institutional transition and reform, the economic importance of culture, economic performance, environmental resource policies, and social policy.