Why Do Older Scholars Slow Down?

Daniel Hamermesh and Lea-Rachel Kosnik

No 31175, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Using data describing all “Top 5” economics journal publications from 1969-2018, we examine what determines which authors produce less as they age and which retire earlier. Sub-field has no impact on the rate of production, but interacts with it to alter retirement probabilities. A positive, tentative, and contemporary writing style increases persistence in publishing. Authors whose previous work was more heavily cited produce slightly more. Those better-cited with more top-flight publications retire later than others. Declining publication with age arises mostly from habit—there is a very significant increasing positive autocorrelation of publication across the decades of a career.

JEL-codes: A14 J26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age, nep-des, nep-hea, nep-hpe and nep-sog
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Published as Daniel S. Hamermesh & Lea‐Rachel Kosnik, 2024. "Why do older scholars slow down?," Economic Inquiry, vol 62(1), pages 488-499.

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