The Role of Connections in Academic Promotions

Natalia Zinovyeva and Manuel Bagues

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2015, vol. 7, issue 2, 264-92

Abstract: This paper analyzes how evaluators' private information and subjective biases affect evaluations in academia. We use evidence from centralized selection exams in Spain, where evaluators are randomly assigned to promotion committees. Candidates are significantly more likely to be promoted when they are evaluated by an acquainted evaluator, but the source of the premium depends on the nature of this relationship. Our findings suggest that, when candidates are evaluated by their PhD adviser, a colleague or a coauthor, evaluation biases dominate the potential impact of informational gains. Weaker links, on the other hand, may improve the efficiency of the selection process. (JEL D82, I23, J44, M51)

JEL-codes: D82 I23 J44 M51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20120337
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (72)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Role of Connections in Academic Promotions (2012)
Working Paper: The Role of Connections in Academic Promotions (2012)
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