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How does the Market Use Citation Data? The Hirsch Index in Economics

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  • Glenn Ellison

Abstract

A large literature following Hirsch (2005) has proposed citation-based indexes that could be used to rank academics. This paper examines how well several such indexes match labor market outcomes using data on the citation records of young tenured economists at 25 U.S. departments. Variants of Hirsch’s index that emphasize smaller numbers of highly-cited papers perform better than Hirsch’s original index and have substantial power to explain which economists are tenured at which departments. Adjustment factors for differences across fields and years of experience are presented.

Suggested Citation

  • Glenn Ellison, 2010. "How does the Market Use Citation Data? The Hirsch Index in Economics," CESifo Working Paper Series 3188, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_3188
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Hirsch index; citation data; economics profession;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General

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