Incentives for Interdisciplinary Research

Isabel Pereira

UFAE and IAE Working Papers from Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC)

Abstract: This paper is a positive analysis of the driving forces in interdisciplinary research. I take the perspective of a research institution that has to decide how to apply its resources among the production of two types of knowledge: specialized or interdisciplinary. Using a prize mechanism of compensation, I show that the choice of interdisciplinarity is compatible with profit maximization when the requirement for the production is sufficiently demanding, and when the new interdisciplinary field is not too neutral. Productive gains due to complementarities of efforts is the main advantage of interdisciplinary organization.

Keywords: scientific research; specialization; interdisciplinarity; adaptative-skills; prizes; standards (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D80 O31 O38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 46
Date: 2007-05-31
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino, nep-knm and nep-ppm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aub:autbar:720.07

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