nep-sog New Economics Papers
on Sociology of Economics
Issue of 2022‒02‒07
three papers chosen by
Jonas Holmström
Axventure AB

  1. Specialization, Field Distance, and Quality in Economists' Collaborations By Ali Sina Önder; Sascha Schweitzer; Hakan Yilmazkuday
  2. Clubs and Networks in Economics Reviewing By Scott E. Carrell; David N. Figlio; Lester R. Lusher
  3. Macroeconomic Research, Present and Past By Philip J. Glandon; Kenneth Kuttner; Sandeep Mazumder; Caleb Stroup

  1. By: Ali Sina Önder (Department of Economics and Finance, University of Portsmouth); Sascha Schweitzer (Department of Management, University of Bayreuth); Hakan Yilmazkuday (Department of Economics, Florida International University)
    Abstract: We analyze economics PhDs' collaborations in peer-reviewed journals from 1990 to 2014 and investigate such collaborations' quality in relation to each co-author's research quality, field and specialization. We find that a greater overlap between co-authors' previous research fields is significantly related to a greater publication success of co-authors' joint work and this is robust to alternative specifications. Co-authors that engage in a distant collaboration are significantly more likely to have a large research overlap, but this significance is lost when co-authors' social networks are accounted for. High quality collaboration is more likely to emerge as a result of an interaction between specialists and generalists with overlapping fields of expertise. Regarding interactions across subfields of economics (interdisciplinarity), it is more likely conducted by co-authors who already have interdisciplinary portfolios, than by co-authors who are specialized or starred in different subfields.
    Keywords: Collaboration, Distance, Team Formation, Research Productivity, Stratification, Specialization
    JEL: A11 A14 I23
    Date: 2021–11
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fiu:wpaper:2124&r=
  2. By: Scott E. Carrell; David N. Figlio; Lester R. Lusher
    Abstract: The network of economists who publish in leading journals is generally perceived as small, exclusive, and tightly knit. We study how author-editor and author-reviewer network connectivity and “match” influences editor decisions and reviewer recommendations of economic research at the Journal of Human Resources (JHR). Our empirical strategy employs several dimensions of fixed effects to overcome concerns of endogenous assignment of papers to editors and reviewers in order to identify causal impacts. Results show that clubs and networks play a large role in influencing both editor and reviewer decisions. Authors who attended the same PhD program, were ever colleagues with, are affiliates of the same NBER program(s), or are more closely linked via coauthorship networks as the handling editor are significantly more likely to avoid a desk rejection. Likewise, authors from the same PhD program or who previously worked with the reviewer are significantly more likely to receive a positive evaluation. We also find that sharing “signals” of ability, such as publishing in “top five”, attending a high ranked PhD program, or being employed by a similarly ranked economics department significantly influences editor decisions and/or reviewer recommendations.
    JEL: A11
    Date: 2022–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29631&r=
  3. By: Philip J. Glandon; Kenneth Kuttner; Sandeep Mazumder; Caleb Stroup
    Abstract: How is macroeconomic research conducted and what is it trying to accomplish? We explore these questions using information gleaned from 1,894 articles published in ten leading journals. We find that over the past 40 years there has been a growing emphasis on increasingly sophisticated quantitative theory, such as DSGE modeling, and papers employing these methods now account for the majority of articles in macro journals. The shift towards quantitative theory is mirrored by a decline in the use of econometric methods to test economic hypotheses. Econometric techniques borrowed from applied microeconomics have to a large extent displaced time series methods, and empirical papers increasingly rely on micro and proprietary data sources. Market imperfections are pervasive, and the amount of research involving financial frictions has increased significantly in the past ten years. The frequency with which non-macro JEL codes appear in macro articles indicates a great deal of overlap between macroeconomics and other fields.
    JEL: A11 A14 B22 B41 E00
    Date: 2022–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29628&r=

This nep-sog issue is ©2022 by Jonas Holmström. It is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. It may be freely redistributed in whole or in part for any purpose. If distributed in part, please include this notice.
General information on the NEP project can be found at http://nep.repec.org. For comments please write to the director of NEP, Marco Novarese at <director@nep.repec.org>. Put “NEP” in the subject, otherwise your mail may be rejected.
NEP’s infrastructure is sponsored by the School of Economics and Finance of Massey University in New Zealand.