The effect of academic mobility on research performance: the case of China

Song Jing, Pengxin Xie, Qun Yin (), Qingzhao Ma (), Celestine Chinedu Ogbu, Xia Guo, Daniel M. J. J. Stanley and Leuta Philatelic Tutaia
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Song Jing: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Pengxin Xie: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Qun Yin: Xihua University
Qingzhao Ma: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Celestine Chinedu Ogbu: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Xia Guo: Sichuan Vocational and Technical College of Communications
Daniel M. J. J. Stanley: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Leuta Philatelic Tutaia: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics

Scientometrics, 2023, vol. 128, issue 10, No 20, 5829-5850

Abstract: Abstract The increasing mobility of elite research talents has become a widely discussed topic in recent years. This study aims to explore the effect of mobility experiences on the research performance of Chinese scholars by collecting work experience data from 666 recipients of the National Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars (Jieqing) and their publicly available research output data. The study employed the entropy balancing matching method to minimize endogeneity bias in the sample. The study yielded several new findings. Firstly, the enterprise mobility experience has a positive effect on the quality of research output but does not affect the quantity of research output. Secondly, unlike in developed countries where "downward mobility" is found to have a suppressive effect on research performance, job mobility of elite research talents in China who move to non-first-class universities significantly contributes to research performance. This paper constructs the theoretical conditions for the innovative knowledge production of elite research talents and explains it. Using this theoretical condition, not only can we explain the mobility of Chinese scientific research talents, but we can also predict and explain the effect of the mobility of other research objects that have not been verified by data validation on scientific research performance in combination with their region environment.

Keywords: Mobility; Research talents; Research performance; Entropy balancing matching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-023-04814-2

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