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Nobel students beget Nobel professors

Author

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  • Richard S.J. Tol

    (Department of Economics, University of Sussex, BN1 9SL Falmer, United Kingdom)

Abstract

It is unclear whether the hierarchy in the economics profession is the result of the agglomeration of excellence or of nepotism. I construct the professor-student network for laureates of and candidates for the Nobel Prize in Economics. I study the effect of proximity to previous Nobelists on winning the Nobel Prize. Conditional on being Nobel-worthy, students and grandstudents of Nobel laureates are not significantly more or less likely to win. Professors of Nobel Prize winners, however, are significantly more likely to win.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard S.J. Tol, 2022. "Nobel students beget Nobel professors," Working Paper Series 0322, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    • Handle: RePEc:sus:susewp:0322
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Susan Athey & Lawrence F. Katz & Alan B. Krueger & Steven Levitt & James Poterba, 2007. "What Does Performance in Graduate School Predict? Graduate Economics Education and Student Outcomes," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(2), pages 512-520, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    network formation; research training; Nobel prize;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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