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The market of academic attention

Author

Listed:
  • Matteo Migheli

    (Università degli Studi di Torino
    CeRP-Collegio Carlo Alberto)

  • Giovanni Battista Ramello

    (Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza, Scienze Politiche, Economiche e Sociali, Università del Piemonte Orientale
    BRICK-Collegio Carlo Alberto)

Abstract

This work broadens the perspective on academic attention, to tackle the key economic problem of how to allocate scarce attention, and what kinds of dynamics this situation can foster. Focusing on selected fields and using standard tools of industrial organization, we delineate the trends in the market for academic attention over 14 years, and attempt to provide an interpretation. We find a tendency toward progressive market concentration, and also that specific strategies adopted by players, aside from the usual benefits determined by price discrimination, can produce subsidies of attention from well-known journals to lesser-known journals belonging to the same bundle. This may influence readers’ and authors’ choices of how to direct their attention.

Suggested Citation

  • Matteo Migheli & Giovanni Battista Ramello, 2018. "The market of academic attention," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 114(1), pages 113-133, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:114:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-017-2564-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-017-2564-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Matteo Migheli & Giovanni B. Ramello, 2021. "The unbearable lightness of scientometric indices," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(8), pages 1933-1944, December.

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