Apropos of your question(s) below, and based on my experience, mainly in Europe: It may have to do with methodology. While people with PhD's in political economy, or international political economy (like myself) generally have training in statistics and/or economics, they are mildly to strongly opposed to positivism and empiricism.
For instance, I have no problem with statistical data, but refuse to reproduce mainstream/orthodoxy practices and arguments "hidden behind thickets of algebra". This is essentially a philosophical problem. My work is influenced by Marxism in general, and Critical Realism in particular. See, for instance, Tony Lawson's "Economics & Reality" and Steve Feetwood's Critical Realism in Economics: Development and Debate (both routledge)
Hope this is of some help.
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