Doing Economics: What You Should Have Learned in Grad School―But Didn’t

Wonderful resource for graduate students and early-career researchers in economics and other quantitative disciplines. Even senior academics can benefit from the book, if only to refer their students to it when necessary. Though I wish I had this when I first entered the workforce, there is still plenty of great advice in the book to help me now, mid-career.

Professor. Marc Bellemare is a super star and great adviser in agricultural economics. There are so many useful advices and stories we could learn from this handbook. Great book to start the summer.

An absolutely brilliant book. I wish I had this when I was in grad school, but I am definitely buying copies for all of my PhD students. You don’t have to be in an economics program to learn something from this either. It’s useful for all fields!

This book is just wonderful. As a grad student, the book was particularly enjoyable for me: Prof. Bellemare discuss each one of the topics you feel should know (or people assume you know), and yet you don't.I believe the book is also specially useful for for foreign students: studying abroad is difficult in itself, knowing the rules of the game can make the transition much more smooth (and enjoyable!).Highly recommended!

Between all of the work economists do is a wide range of interactions, commitments, and duties that are rarely---if ever---taught formally. Marc's soon-to-be-classic book discusses these important "middle bits" of being a professional economist.

One of the most straightforward reads for grad students perusing Economics.Pros:1. Great weekend read, short and concise and very well written.2. Talks holistically about what issues grad students face when applying for grants, writing papers etc.Cons:1. PhD gets delayed by a week

I learned a lot, and it has already been a game-changer for an Econ research project that I'm working on (I had to make major changes). I'm learning more and more that the econ academia world is highly competitive and brutal. It's hard not to feel discouraged and hopeless. So I'm very grateful for economists such as Marc Bellemare, who try to help even the playing field. Thank you so much; people like you help make the econ world kind. After all, I wonder if more compassion in Econ Academia will increase research quality and participation by diverse people.It is very, very hard being in the Econ world as a woman of color. During undergrad, I frequently wished that I could be a white male to be like my peers and be accepted. Or, at least be just like them. I have been trying to accept that I am fine being different. Thank you for acknowledging the hardship.-Jaimie Choi

Obtaining my PhD was one of the hardest things I've ever done - not only because of the intellectual challenge (which I was expecting) but also because of the hundreds of questions, big and small, that pop up during the process: How do I write a "Data and Descriptive Statistics" section that does not suck? Am I allowed to submit a paper to several journals at once? And what exactly do people expect from me now that I've been asked to serve as a discussant at a conference? The answers to these and other questions constitute a "hidden curriculum", and they are especially hidden to first-gen college students. I am jealous of younger generations of economists who can simply pick up a copy of Marc Bellemare's terrific "Doing Economics" to find the answers instead.Marc Bellemare is a leading agricultural and development economist, who has also served as editor of two of the top field journals. "Doing Economics" provides advice on writing papers, giving talks, navigating peer review, finding funding, doing service, and advising students. These chapters are all clearly laid out, with unambiguous advice and helpful examples to drive home the point. One of the most enlightening parts of the book (for me, at least) is where the author explains how peer review works from the point of view of an editor, describing the heuristics editors use to assess whether a paper is a good fit, and in identifying reviewers. I left the academic world before I had to search for funding, but I still learned a lot from the author's discussion of the different types of funding sources, and strategies for preparing successful proposals. The chapter on advising students is particularly thoughtful, and useful to anyone who has the privilege of mentoring younger colleagues.The book does not try to be exhaustive; and navigating the job market is probably the biggest topic not covered here (a deliberate choice by the author). I think it would also have been helpful to have a "further reading" section with references to other resources. But there's no doubt that Bellemare's book is a terrific resource for beginning and more experienced economists alike. I tried offering a copy to a friend who is currently doing her PhD, but it turns out she had already bought the book and shared it with her fellow PhD students - extrapolating from this, I expect this book will become something of a classic.

Great review of some thing I already knew and helpful information.