Do large departments make academics more productive? Sorting and agglomeration economies in research

Clement Bosquet and Pierre-Philippe Combes

No 2015-16, THEMA Working Papers from THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise

Abstract: We study how departments' characteristics impact academics' quantity and quality of publications in economics. Individual time-varying characteristics and individual fixed-effects are controlled for. Departments' characteristics have an explanatory power at least equal to a fourth of that of individual characteristics and possibly as high as theirs. An academic's quantity and quality of publications in a field increase with the presence of other academics specialised in that field and with the share of the field's output in the department. By contrast, department's size, proximity to other large departments, homogeneity in terms of publication performance, presence of colleagues with connections abroad, and composition in terms of positions and age matter at least for some publication measures but only when individual fixed effects are not controlled for. This suggests a role for individual positive sorting where these characteristics only attract more able academics. A residual negative sorting between individuals' and departments' unobserved characteristics is simultaneously exhibited.

Keywords: Research productivity; Local externalities; Skills sorting; Peer effects; Co-author networks; Economics of science. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 J24 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-eff, nep-geo, nep-lma, nep-sog and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Sorting and agglomeration economies in French economics departments (2017)
Working Paper: Do large departments make academics more productive? Sorting and agglomeration economies in research (2016)
Working Paper: Do large departments make academics more productive? Sorting and agglomeration economies in research (2016)
Working Paper: Do Large Departments Make Academics More Productive? Agglomeration and Peer Effects in Research (2013)
Working Paper: Do Large Departments Make Academics More Productive? Agglomeration and Peer Effects in Research (2013)
Working Paper: Do large departments make academics more productive? Agglomeration and peer effects in research (2013)
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