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RESEARCH PRODUCT

A Political Scientist's Experience in the Real World of Politics

Nils Muiznieks

subject

Political science of religionLawPolitical sciencePolitical Science and International RelationsPolitical culturePolitical strategyComparative politicsPolitical communicationSystems theory in political scienceGlobal politicsPolitical management

description

Doctoral candidates in political science have a universe of potential career options to choose from. These include not only academia, but also the non-governmental sector, political consulting, and government work. When I obtained my doctoral degree in 1993, little did I imagine that within fifteen years I would have tried my hand in all of these fields, including serving as a cabinet minister. In this article, I reflect on how this professional whirlwind came about, how each field helped and/or hindered the others, what these wanderings taught me about post-communist democratic politics, and particularly what lessons a political scientist learned from entering, albeit briefly, the ‘real world’ of politics.

https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2008.17