| Abstract: |
This paper aims to contribute to the analysis of recent changes in Italian
economic thought by examining them from a gender perspective. Following a
popular international trend, the use of bibliometric indicators for the
purposes of personnel selection has been introduced in Italy, creating a more
competitive environment heavily founded on rigid standardized indexes of
“scientific productivity”. In this context, recent studies analyze gender
differences by considering the willingness to enter competition. By contrast,
we aim at describing what were the strategies adopted by men and women
economists in terms of research fields, at different stages of their careers.
We find that women progressively have converged to the research interests of
their male colleagues. Specifically, we find that the decrease in
non-mainstream publications, in particular in the fields of heterodox
approaches and history of economic thought, is larger among female economists.
Systematic follow-up is essential, in particular the creation of specific
committee or observatory embodying a gender perspective in all aspects of the
academic and research activity in economics in Italy. |