nep-sog New Economics Papers
on Sociology of Economics
Issue of 2015‒02‒05
three papers chosen by
Jonas Holmström
Axventure AB

  1. Do large departments make academics more productive? agglomeration and peer effects in research By Clément Bosquet; Pierre-Philippe Combes
  2. Moving Out Of Academic Research: Why Scientists Stop Doing Research? By Geuna, Aldo; Shibayama, Sotaro
  3. Antecedents And Consequences Of Organizational Commitment Among Russian University Teachers By Andrey Lovakov

  1. By: Clément Bosquet; Pierre-Philippe Combes
    Abstract: We study the effect of a large set of department characteristics on individual publication records. We control for many individual time-varying characteristics, individual fixed-effects and reverse causality. Department characteristics have an explanatory power that can be as high as that of individual characteristics. The departments that generate most externalities are those where academics are homogeneous in terms of publication performance and have diverse research fields, and, to a lesser extent, large departments, with more women, older academics, star academics and foreign co-authors. Department specialisation in a field also favours publication in that field. More students per academic does not penalise publication. At the individual level, women and older academics publish less, while the average publication quality increases with average number of authors per paper, individual field diversity, number of published papers and foreign co-authors.
    Keywords: productivity determinants; economic geography; networks; economics of science; selection and endogeneity
    JEL: I3 J24 R12
    Date: 2013–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:58306&r=sog
  2. By: Geuna, Aldo; Shibayama, Sotaro (University of Turin)
    Abstract: This study examines the determinants of exit from academic research which occurs when academic researchers move into positions in academe which concentrate on non-research activities such as teaching or administration, or when researchers leave academia and move into industry. Drawing on career data for 13,500 Japanese PhD graduates in hard sciences (all scientific fields except social sciences and humanities), we develop a set of econometric models to test the determinants of exit from a career in academic research. We find that academics’ scientific productivity and academic network are negatively correlated with abandoning a university research career, and that female academics, and researchers in less-prestigious universities, tend to exit academic research more easily. Individual and institutional network effects play a role mainly for senior researchers. The results indicate also that the determinants of exit are contingent on scientific field and career stage.
    Date: 2015–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uto:dipeco:201503&r=sog
  3. By: Andrey Lovakov (National Research University Higher School of Economics)
    Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine the specific antecedents and consequences of the commitment of university teachers to their university. Academia has specific features that distinguish universities from other types of organizations: universities have the opportunity to hire their own graduates (academic inbreeding); university teachers are able to work in several higher education institutions or combine teaching with work in business; university teachers have the opportunity to combine several professional roles (teaching, administrative work, research, etc.); university teachers have several options to change their job; publication activity is an important indicator of the efficiency and competitiveness of university teachers. This study is an online survey of 317 teachers of different disciplines from several types of state higher education institutions from different regions of Russia. The results of the regression analysis show that antecedents of affective commitment include belonging to a group of insiders (working in university from which they graduated), having an additional administrative position, role clarity, and role conflict. Structural equation modelling shows that an additional administrative position had a direct positive effect and an indirect negative effect (through role conflict) on the affective commitment to the university. Having work experience at another university predicts only a normative commitment to the university. The affective component of commitment to the university was a better negative predictor of the intention to leave the position, profession and institution. No components of the commitment predict publication activity.
    Keywords: organizational commitment, academic inbreeding, academic profession, universities
    JEL: I20 I23 J28 J40 J60
    Date: 2014
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hig:wpaper:30psy2014&r=sog

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