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The scholarly output of economists: A description of publishing patterns

Atlantic Economic Journal volume 29, pages 341–349 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper analyzes the research productivity of a cohort of economists over the 15 years following receipt of their doctorate degrees, contrasting their results in publishing articles, books, and textbooks after controlling for the individual characteristics of the economists in the sample. Specifically, this paper considers the quality of graduate school, the type of employment, the general area of dissertation research, and the gender of each individual in the cohort. Primary conclusions indicate that scholarly journals are the most important research outlet, and that book production is a complementary activity to output in scholarly journals. Moreover, publishing success is closely related to the quality of the graduate school attended as well as the type of employer. According to this research, women do not face a statistically significant disadvantage to publishing. Finally, the analysis documents that midway through the 15-year time span covered by this study, output begins to decline, reflecting the post-tenure drop-off in research productivity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Trinity University, U.S.A.

    Joe C. Davis, John H. Huston & Debra Moore Patterson

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  1. Joe C. Davis
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  2. John H. Huston
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  3. Debra Moore Patterson
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Davis, J.C., Huston, J.H. & Patterson, D.M. The scholarly output of economists: A description of publishing patterns. Atlantic Economic Journal 29, 341–349 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02300554

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02300554

Keywords

  • Graduate School
  • Public Finance
  • Research Productivity
  • Complementary Activity
  • Important Research