<p>I have a question about public policy phd programs. Are they the new way to do applied economics (i.e. economics that matters to the real world)? I don't mean to be flippant here, but it seems as it economic programs are so interested in abstraction where math serves as the goal rather than the means or tools of the discipline (by the way, I do not have an anathema to math). So I am wondering if public policy is the new pathway to a career in policy research that uses applied economics. </p>
<p>Any thoughts would be most appreciated!</p>
<p>p.s. My background is in foreign policy but I have discovered that this is a field that doesn't interest me as a career because there are less research opportunites available.</p>