What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Political Scientists in the U.S. earn more than $142,080 a year — the middle 80% land between $83,350 and $195,190. About 5,540 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Political Scientists”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$142,080typical pay / year
5,540people in this work
$195,190+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing3
Assess public opinion and voting patterns
+Map current public opinion on immigration and turnout among 18–35s in the Midlands using the last three…
Assess public opinion and voting patterns
+Map current public opinion on immigration and turnout among 18–35s in the Midlands using the last three election surveys and national polls, identify the strongest predictors of vote choice, and produce a short memo with charts for the policy team by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsMicrosoft ExcelESCOjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Gather data through surveys and empirical research
+Draft the survey instrument and sampling plan to measure attitudes toward local policing, specify question…
Gather data through surveys and empirical research
+Draft the survey instrument and sampling plan to measure attitudes toward local policing, specify question wording, sample size of 1,200 with stratification by ward and age, consent text, and an analysis plan for weighted estimates and logistic models within two weeks.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Evaluate the impact of policies and laws
+Evaluate the 2023 housing policy by estimating effects on eviction rates and rental prices using…
Evaluate the impact of policies and laws
+Evaluate the 2023 housing policy by estimating effects on eviction rates and rental prices using administrative data from 2019–2025, pre-register the model, run difference-in-differences with robustness checks, and send a policy note with the results to the minister's office by next Friday.
The tools that do the workPythonMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Learning3
Teach political science.
+Design the second lecture on democratic theory comparing deliberative and aggregative models, include two…
Teach political science.
+Design the second lecture on democratic theory comparing deliberative and aggregative models, include two in-class exercises, five required readings, and a one‑page handout with learning objectives and assessment criteria for next Tuesday's seminar.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Compare different political systems
+Produce a comparative brief on presidential, parliamentary, and mixed systems focusing on executive…
Compare different political systems
+Produce a comparative brief on presidential, parliamentary, and mixed systems focusing on executive accountability, party discipline, and crisis response, include a three-row comparative table and two case studies (France 2008, New Zealand 1999) for Friday's faculty meeting.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft VisioESCOjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Conduct media commentary on political issues
+Prepare a three-minute op‑ed script and talking points on the proposed tax reform, include two…
Conduct media commentary on political issues
+Prepare a three-minute op‑ed script and talking points on the proposed tax reform, include two evidence-backed critiques, one alternative policy, and three anticipated counterarguments with responses for tomorrow's radio slot at 09:00.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work14
Scientific research methodology
+Design and document a reproducible research methodology for the welfare reform experiment: specify…
Scientific research methodology
+Design and document a reproducible research methodology for the welfare reform experiment: specify hypotheses, sampling frame of 2,000 households, power calculations with alpha 0.05, variable definitions, data cleaning rules, and the exact regression models and robustness checks so a junior researcher can reproduce results.
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Report analysis results
+Write a clear results report for the welfare reform experiment: summarise key findings, present point…
Report analysis results
+Write a clear results report for the welfare reform experiment: summarise key findings, present point estimates and 95% confidence intervals for primary outcomes, explain model choices and robustness checks, include two tables and one figure, and a one‑page policy implication section for the minister.
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Publish articles and give presentations on research findings
+Publish the peer-reviewed article and prepare the conference talk summarising my findings on democratic…
Publish articles and give presentations on research findings
+Publish the peer-reviewed article and prepare the conference talk summarising my findings on democratic resilience, submit the manuscript to Political Theory Quarterly by Friday, and upload the final slides and one-page brief to the department website before the talk.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptionsO*NET
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Identify issues for research and analysis.
+Scan recent parliamentary committee reports, local government audits, and voter survey summaries to list…
Identify issues for research and analysis.
+Scan recent parliamentary committee reports, local government audits, and voter survey summaries to list three unresolved policy problems, rank them by public impact and feasibility, and write a two-page memo recommending which to research next.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Conduct research using quantitative methods
+Run the quantitative analysis on the national voter dataset to test the inequality-policy effect, clean and…
Conduct research using quantitative methods
+Run the quantitative analysis on the national voter dataset to test the inequality-policy effect, clean and code variables, run descriptive stats and regression models, then produce a methods appendix and results tables for publication.
The tools that do the workPythonIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Serve on committees.
+Prepare the committee briefing pack for Friday: a one-page summary of my position, evidence tables, proposed…
Serve on committees.
+Prepare the committee briefing pack for Friday: a one-page summary of my position, evidence tables, proposed motions, and a five-minute speaking script, then circulate the pack to committee members and the chair before the meeting.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft OutlookO*NET
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Prepare legislative proposals for government
+Draft the legislative proposal to reform local regulatory oversight: write the policy rationale, a statutory…
Prepare legislative proposals for government
+Draft the legislative proposal to reform local regulatory oversight: write the policy rationale, a statutory text draft, an implementation timeline with responsibilities, and a cost estimate, then send it to the policy lead and legal counsel for review.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Use statistical methods to interpret data
+Analyse the survey and administrative datasets to interpret policy-relevant patterns: compute weighted…
Use statistical methods to interpret data
+Analyse the survey and administrative datasets to interpret policy-relevant patterns: compute weighted estimates, test key hypotheses with appropriate models, produce clear charts and an interpretation section tying results to policy implications.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions
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Interpret constitutions and legal frameworks
+Interpret the constitution and related statutes to produce a short briefing that explains which articles…
Interpret constitutions and legal frameworks
+Interpret the constitution and related statutes to produce a short briefing that explains which articles limit executive power, how judicial review has been applied in the last decade, and three likely constitutional risks for the new emergency powers bill by Thursday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordWikipedia
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Examine topical matters such as decision-making processes
+Examine current decision-making processes in the cabinet by mapping formal rules, informal practices, and…
Examine topical matters such as decision-making processes
+Examine current decision-making processes in the cabinet by mapping formal rules, informal practices, and decision timelines, identify three bottlenecks affecting speed and legitimacy, and recommend two procedural changes for next quarter's cabinet review.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft WordESCO
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Advise governments and institutional organisations on governance matters
+Advise the ministry on revising governance arrangements: assess the existing board charter, identify five…
Advise governments and institutional organisations on governance matters
+Advise the ministry on revising governance arrangements: assess the existing board charter, identify five weaknesses in accountability and stakeholder representation, and draft a one-page memo with three implementable remedies for the minister by Monday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCO
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Government policy
+Produce a policy note recommending a coherent government policy on data protection that aligns with the…
Government policy
+Produce a policy note recommending a coherent government policy on data protection that aligns with the existing legal framework, lists five priority actions for implementation over 18 months, and flags two political trade-offs for ministers.
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Government policy implementation
+Design an implementation plan for the new housing policy: break down responsibilities across departments, set…
Government policy implementation
+Design an implementation plan for the new housing policy: break down responsibilities across departments, set measurable milestones for months 1, 6, and 12, estimate required staffing changes, and propose two indicators to monitor progress.
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Apply statistical analysis techniques
+Apply statistical analysis to the electoral participation dataset to test whether income predicts turnout…
Apply statistical analysis techniques
+Apply statistical analysis to the electoral participation dataset to test whether income predicts turnout controlling for age and education, run appropriate regressions, report coefficients with confidence intervals, and summarise policy implications in one page.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses