Prizes and Productivity: How Winning the Fields Medal Affects Scientific Output

George Borjas and Kirk Doran

No 19445, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Knowledge generation is key to economic growth, and scientific prizes are designed to encourage it. But how does winning a prestigious prize affect future output? We compare the productivity of Fields medalists (winners of the top mathematics prize) to that of similarly brilliant contenders. The two groups have similar publication rates until the award year, after which the winners' productivity declines. The medalists begin to "play the field," studying unfamiliar topics at the expense of writing papers. It appears that tournaments can have large post-prize effects on the effort allocation of knowledge producers.

JEL-codes: J22 J24 J33 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eff, nep-hrm, nep-lab, nep-lma and nep-sog
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Published as George J. Borjas & Kirk B. Doran, 2015. "Prizes and Productivity: How Winning the Fields Medal Affects Scientific Output," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(3), pages 728-758.

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Working Paper: Prizes and Productivity- How Winning the Fields Medal Affects Scientific Output (2013)
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