This paper adopts a political economy perspective in understanding how the country context frames the development of higher education doctoral science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. We argue that a country's commitment to research and development spending as a strategy to maintain its economic competitiveness creates the market for research labor. This embeddedness of STEM doctoral training programs in the country's science and technology system enlarges differences between STEM and non-STEM doctoral programs. This argument is validated from a survey of doctoral students in leading Pacific Asian universities which shows that STEM doctoral programs have stronger research networks, are better financed, use better facilities, and incorporate a variety of research placements. The embeddedness of STEM programs is further illustrated from the case of Singapore. Singapore-based STEM doctoral students mention enjoying better financial support and receiving better career advice from their supervisors. They depend on collaborative peer learning and cite more varied employment options when asked about their career plans.