nep-sog New Economics Papers
on Sociology of Economics
Issue of 2017‒08‒27
two papers chosen by
Jonas Holmström
Axventure AB

  1. Inside Job or Deep Impact? Using Extramural Citations to Assess Economic Scholarship By Joshua Angrist; Pierre Azoulay; Glenn Ellison; Ryan Hill; Susan Feng Lu
  2. Antidepressants for Economists and Business-School Researchers: An Introduction and Review By Katolik, Aleksandra; Oswald, Andrew J.

  1. By: Joshua Angrist; Pierre Azoulay; Glenn Ellison; Ryan Hill; Susan Feng Lu
    Abstract: Does academic economic research produce material of scientific value, or are academic economists writing only for clients and peers? Is economics scholarship uniquely insular? We address these questions by quantifying interactions between economics and other disciplines. Changes in the impact of economic scholarship are measured here by the way other disciplines cite us. We document a clear rise in the extramural influence of economic research, while also showing that economics is increasingly likely to reference other social sciences. A breakdown of extramural citations by economics fields shows broad field impact. Differentiating between theoretical and empirical papers classified using machine learning, we see that much of the rise in economics’ extramural influence reflects growth in citations to empirical work. This parallels a growing share of empirical cites within economics. At the same time, the disciplines of computer science and operations research are mostly influenced by economic theory.
    JEL: A11 A12 A13 A14 B41 C18
    Date: 2017–08
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:23698&r=sog
  2. By: Katolik, Aleksandra (University of Warwick); Oswald, Andrew J. (University of Warwick and IZA)
    Abstract: The antidepressant pill is an important modern commodity. Its growing role in the world has been largely ignored by researchers in economics departments and business schools. Scholars may be unaware how many citizens and employees now take these pills. Here we review some of the social-science literature on the topic. We discuss research on the impact of advertising upon antidepressant consumption, the link between antidepressants and the human ‘midlife crisis’, and evidence on how antidepressants are connected to crime, suicide, and financial hardship. We argue that antidepressants will eventually have to be modelled as a new form of consumption that lies in the currently grey area between medicines and consumer goods. This topic demands scholarly and societal attention.
    Keywords: Well-being; depression; medications; happiness. JEL Classification: I1; I120; I3; I310
    Date: 2017
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:338&r=sog

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