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Placement of Political Scientists, 1978-79 Author(s): Sheilah K. Mann Source: PS, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Winter, 1980), pp. 10-13 Published by: American Political Science Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/418663 . Accessed: 14/06/2014 22:39 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . American Political Science Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to PS. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 185.2.32.152 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 22:39:15 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Page 1: Placement of Political Scientists, 1978-79

Placement of Political Scientists, 1978-79Author(s): Sheilah K. MannSource: PS, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Winter, 1980), pp. 10-13Published by: American Political Science AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/418663 .

Accessed: 14/06/2014 22:39

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

American Political Science Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access toPS.

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Page 2: Placement of Political Scientists, 1978-79

Placerment of Political Scientists, 1978-79

Sheilah K. Mann American Political Science Association

This is the seventh report on the experience of new political scientists looking for jobs. Two years have passed since the last report, which was based upon placement data for 1977.1 In this report on placement data collected in 1978 and 1979, there are some changes in who succeeds in finding jobs and in what kinds of jobs they find. These changes may be an indication of professional adjustment to the realities of the academic job market. The 1977 placement report examined the aca- demic job market for political scientists in the next two decades, and pointed out that the projected decline in college enrollments until 1994 means that nearly all of the positions open to new faculty will be generated by the need to replace current faculty who die, retire or move to non-teaching jobs. Since the median age of political scientists is in the mid-30s, we were told that there will 'be few openings due to retirements until the mid-1990s. And, we were left with the question as to whether, in view of the limited supply of academic job opportuni- ties, the profession will make changes in its graduate curricula and/or its placement strate- gies.2 In addressing this question with respect to the 1978 and 1979 placement classes, it is useful to summarize what has remained con- stant in the placement of political scientists in order to highlight what has changed. In the late 1970s, the decline in the supply of political scientists has leveled off. Table 1 shows that in each of the past four years, there

have been fewer than 1200 first-year Ph.D. students and fewer than 6000 Ph.D. students, in toto. Also, during this period, the overall placement success of political scientists has remained the same-around seven out of ten candidates do succeed in getting jobs and fewer than four out of ten candidates find themselves on the job market for more than one year. Table 2 presents these placement trends for 1972-1979.

Data in Table 2 for 1979 indicates two depar- tures from the profession's past placement record: (1) A decline in the size of the placement class; from 971 in 1977 and 967 in 1978 to 837 in 1979. (2) An increase-to 26 percent-of the proportion of placements in non-academic jobs. From Table 3, on place- ments by type of hiring institutions, we see that, for the most part, the increase in the proportion of political scientists taking non- academic jobs is offset by a decrease in the proportion taking academic positions in under- graduate political science departments. Is this shift based upon a decline in job openings at undergraduate colleges or does it suggest some preference for non-academic jobs? The place- ment data do not answer this question. But, the data from the Association's annual depart- mental surveys for 1977 and 1978 do not reflect any decline in anticipated faculty posi- tions in political science departments in under- graduate colleges. Two other changes in the placement of political scientists are recorded in Tables 4 and 5, respectively. First, the proportion of ABDs securing jobs seems to be on the rise. Ph.D.s have always fared better in the job market than ABDs. But whereas 57 percent of the ABDs

1See PS Winter, 1978, pp. 26-29, and the references cited there to earlier reports.

21bid., p. 26.

TABLE 1

Supply of Political Scientists, 1969-1979

New Students Graduate Students Beginning Ph.D. Study Enrollments in Ph.D. Programs Ph.D.s

Year in Political Science in Political Science Awarded

1969-70 2487 * 634 1970-71 2138 * 821 1971-72 1695 * 911 1972-73 1576 * 906 1973-74 1414 6450 907 1974-75 1443 6150 862 1975-76 1174 6150 885 1976-77 1064 5462 881 1977-78 1182 5737 851 1978-79 1034 5742 * 1979-80 1100 5888 *

*Figure not available.

10 PS Winter 1980

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Page 3: Placement of Political Scientists, 1978-79

TABLE 2 Trends in Placement, 1972-1979

1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

Number of firm candidates 912 1000 1050 1000 1135 971 967 837 Percentage repeats * * * 31% 33% 39% 38% 37% Placement success of all firm candidates 70% 73% 67% 68% 67% 68% 68% 73%

Placement success of Ph.D.s 80% 83% 84% 78% 76% 77% 77% 79% Percentage of placements in

temporary positions * * * 30% 32% 29% 31% 33% Percentage of placements to Ph.D.s 37% 42% 53% 52% 57% 60% 53% 51%

Percentage of placements in non-academic positions 12% 16% 16% 14% 14% 17% 15% 26%

*Figure not available

were placed in 1977 and 60 percent were placed in 1978, 68 percent secured jobs in 1979. The gain is not large, but it does lead one to speculate to what extent these successful ABD job candidates account for the higher proportion of non-academic placements. Is it possible that more graduate students who are aware of the limited number of academic positions are now willing to leave school ear- lier-before completing their dissertations-to take non-academic jobs? Perhaps: 50 percent of the 1979 non-academic placements are ABDs compared to 42 percent in 1978. Certainly we will have to look carefully at the placement statistics in the next few years to determine whether political science graduate students are adjusting to the restricted academic job market and particularly to the prospect of jobs at

smaller or less affluent institutions by choosing an earlier entry into non-academic careers. If so, such a movement could have considerable repercussions for the profession if these non- academics cease to identify as political scien- tists and to engage in political science research. The second change from past placement trends is that women are more prominent in the 1979 placement class and slightly more successful than men in gaining employment in both 1978 and 1979. Women comprised 19 percent of the 1979 placement class, compared with 16 per- cent of the 1977 and of the 1978 classes. Table 5 shows that a higher proportion of the female candidates were placed than their male counter- parts in 1978 and 1979. And Table 6 shows that women met with placement success to a greater extent than men in nearly all fields of

TABLE 3 Placement by Type of Hiring Institution, 1978 and 1979

Total Men Women 1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979

Ph.D. department 33% 34% 33% 34% 33% 31% M.A. department 19 19 19 17 20 23 Undergraduate political science departments 26 17 27 17 25 19 Undergraduate social science departments 3 2 3 3 3 1 Two-year college 2 2 2 2 1 2 Non-academic, professionally-related 16 26 16 27 18 24

Total 99% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

TABLE 4 Degree Completion and Placement Success, 1978 and 1979

Placement Success Percentage of Those Placed ABD Ph.D. ABD Ph.D.

1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979 Total 60% 68% 77% 79% 47% 48% 53% 52% Men 59% 75% 75% 78% 45% 46% 55% 54% Women 65% 75% 92% 82% 48% 59% 52% 41%

11

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Page 4: Placement of Political Scientists, 1978-79

Placement of Political Scientists, 1978-1979

TABLE 5 Placement of Job Candidates, 1978 and 1979*

Percentage of Number of Placements in

Firm Candidates Number Placed Placement Success Temporary Positions 1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979

Total 967 837 658 611 68% 73% 28% 33% Men 809 678 542 481 67% 71% 28% 34% Women 158 159 120 120 75% 76% 29% 32%

*Figures are estimates of the total population based on samples of 91 departments in 1978 (77 percent response rate), and 15 departments in 1979 (79 percent response rate).

political science.

The data in Table 6 also illustrates that place- ment success remains related to field of speciali- zation. Overall, political scientists who special- ize in American government, methodology, public administration and public policy con- tinue to be more successful in getting a position than those who specialize in political theory, international relations and comparative politics. These recent data provide another subject for speculation: will we continue to see an increase in the proportion of women political scientists?

There has been no comparable change in the proportion of black and Spanish-surnamed can- didates or in the placement success of these candidates. Blacks comprised 4 percent of the 1977 placement class, 3 percent of the 1978 class and 4 percent of the 1979 class. Spanish- surnamed political scientists comprised 1 per- cent of each placement class for the past three years. The placement success of blacks was 67 percent in 1978 and 77 percent in 1979. The placement success of Spanish-surnamed candi- dates was 80 percent and 83 percent in 1978 and 1979.

IDEOLOGICAL COALITIONS IN CONGRESS by Jerrold E. Schneider

(University of Delaware) "It seems to me a notable and indeed, brilliant con- tribution to the subject, and I can only wish for it as wide publication and notice as possible. It is really a distinguished piece of work.'

-James MacGregor Burns "The author has done a major labor of love, and the supporting data displayed are of considerable interest. I would expect it to land among the four or five major works on the Congress that would be routinely cited among students of legislative behavior for some years to come." -Philip E. Converse "Schneider has produced what may be regarded as the definitive work on the existence of ideological coalitions in Congress in the 1970s."

-Choice, July, August 1979

J-'LO CA D t: ::: .;; C OALITIONSa lop,

To order Jerrold E. Schneider's. IDEOLOGICAL COALITIONS IN CONGRESS. $22.50. use this coupon .. Orders must be prepaid: we then pay postage and handling. Mail orders directly to Greenwood Press. 51 Riverside Avenue. Westport CT 06880 or use our toll-free. 24 hour number for placing credit card orders: 1-800-257-7850 (In New Jersey. 1-800-322-8650). Enclose check or money order or complete the credit card information below: F1 Master Charge r] Visa 0 American Express

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Greenwood Press, Inc. 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT 06880

12 PS Winter 1980

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Page 5: Placement of Political Scientists, 1978-79

TABLE 6 Placement Success Within Fields of Specialization, 1978 and 1979

Placement Success Percentage of Those Placed Total Men Women Total Men Women

1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979 1978 1979

American Government 80% 74% 77% 71% 83% 88% 29% 26% 26% 25% 28% 30% Public Policy 66% 90% 47% 88% 92% 100% 6% 9% 4% 9% 12% 7% Comparative/Area Studies 59% 66% 60% 65% 53% 71% 21% 21% 14% 21% 17% 23% International Relations 58% 64% 56% 63% 68% 66% 16% 15% 15% 16% 13% 12% Public Administration 90% 80% 84% 81% 100% 75% 9% 9% 8% 10% 10% 6% Political Theory 51% 58% 51% 59% 52% 56% 11% 10% 11% 10% 9% 9% Methodology 84% 100% 81% 100% 100% - 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% - Other 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 3% 5% 2% 4% 6% 11%

r O

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