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Collaborative integration, workplace flexibility and scholarly productivity: Evidence from the COVID-19 outbreak

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  • Fan, Ying

Abstract

In this paper, we exploit the natural experiment of the COVID-19 outbreak and investigate the role of collaborative integration and workplace flexibility in scholarly productivity. Using data on the quantity and quality of the journal and working paper submissions, we first identify a discontinuity pattern in the productivity of Chinese scholars around the Chinese New Year (CNY). Second, we find that COVID-19 has a negative impact on the productivity of Chinese scholars in terms of quantity and quality post-CNY. Furthermore, the short-term detrimental effect on scholarly productivity is induced mainly through the channel of collaborative integration and workplace flexibility due to mitigation policy shocks in terms of social distancing and working-from-home arrangements. The results suggest while advances in virtual communication technologies can facilitate productivity by lowering collaboration costs, virtual team communication cannot be a perfect substitute for face-to-face communication in collaborative integration. In addition, higher workplace flexibility might hinder productivity in sectors relying more on the skills of self-management and discipline.

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  • Fan, Ying, 2023. "Collaborative integration, workplace flexibility and scholarly productivity: Evidence from the COVID-19 outbreak," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 1-15.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:quaeco:v:87:y:2023:i:c:p:1-15
    DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2022.11.002
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Scholarly productivity; Collaborative integration; Workplace flexibility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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