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Using Network Centrality to Inform Our View of Nobel Economists

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Abstract

The literature concerning the ranking of economists largely examines numbers of articles and citations or functions of those variables. This is appropriate since economists primarily affect each other through a network of articles and citations. Though difficult to quantify, economists also affect broader societal discussions about issues and public policy. Using the concept of network centrality, this paper creates eight measures of an economist’s influence through the traditional network of papers and citations and the more recent network of internet links. Those measures are combined using factor analysis to create a ranking of Nobel Prize-winning economists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, Trinity University, 1 Trinity Place, San Antonio, TX, 78212, USA

    John H. Huston

  2. Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Roger W. Spencer

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  1. John H. Huston
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  2. Roger W. Spencer
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Correspondence to John H. Huston.

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Huston, J.H., Spencer, R.W. Using Network Centrality to Inform Our View of Nobel Economists. Eastern Econ J 44, 616–628 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41302-018-0111-z

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