IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ajecsc/v83y2024i1p75-91.html

When forgiveness beats permission: Exploring the scholarly ethos of clinical faculty in economics

Author

Listed:
  • Franklin G. Mixon
  • Kamal P. Upadhyaya

Abstract

The concept of the “clinical professor” – sometimes referred to as a “professor of practice,” or something similar – is in widespread use in academe. Economics and business disciplines all now entertain the prospect of teaching specialists. This study extends prior research on economics scholarship at liberal arts colleges by examining whether clinical economics faculty are invested in a program of research. After discussing conceptual arguments for why one should expect to see clinical economics faculty engaging in research, we examine citations data for clinical faculty in economics who are affiliated with what U.S. News & World Report classifies as national colleges and universities. That examination reveals that the 206 clinical faculty employed across the 90 institutions have produced academic scholarship that has garnered about 125,000 citations. Moreover, a deeper exploration suggests that the research ethos pervading the clinical economics faculties employed by America's large research universities appears to be quite similar to that characterizing the economics departments at liberal arts colleges.

Suggested Citation

  • Franklin G. Mixon & Kamal P. Upadhyaya, 2024. "When forgiveness beats permission: Exploring the scholarly ethos of clinical faculty in economics," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 83(1), pages 75-91, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:ajecsc:v:83:y:2024:i:1:p:75-91
    DOI: 10.1111/ajes.12514
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajes.12514
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/ajes.12514?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marion Fourcade & Etienne Ollion & Yann Algan, 2015. "The Superiority of Economists," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(1), pages 89-114, Winter.
    2. Michael J. Hilmer & Christiana E. Hilmer, 2009. "Fishes, Ponds, And Productivity: Student‐Advisor Matching And Early Career Publishing Success For Economics Phds," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 47(2), pages 290-303, April.
    3. David N. Laband & Robert D. Tollison, 2000. "Intellectual Collaboration," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 108(3), pages 632-661, June.
    4. Marieke Kleemans & Rebecca L. Thornton, 2021. "Who Belongs? The Determinants of Selective Membership into the National Bureau of Economic Research," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 111, pages 117-122, May.
    5. El Ouardighi, Fouad & Kogan, Konstantin & Vranceanu, Radu, 2013. "Publish or teach? Analysis of the professor's optimal career path," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1995-2009.
    6. James E. Hartley & Michael D. Robinson, 1997. "Economic Research at National Liberal Arts Colleges: School Rankings," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 337-349, December.
    7. Howard Bodenhorn, 2003. "Economic Scholarship at Elite Liberal Arts Colleges: A Citation Analysis with Rankings," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(4), pages 341-359, December.
    8. Fulya Y. Ersoy & Jennifer Pate, 2023. "Invisible hurdles: Gender and institutional differences in the evaluation of economics papers," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(4), pages 777-797, October.
    9. João Ricardo Faria & Paulo R.A. Loureiro & Franklin G. Mixon, Jr. & Adolfo Sachsida, 2013. "Faculty Promotion in Academe: Theory and Evidence from U.S. Economics Departments," Journal of Economics and Econometrics, Economics and Econometrics Society, vol. 56(1), pages 1-27.
    10. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/67ft27s7u58ocangahl1jigu6p is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Dennis L Murray & Douglas Morris & Claude Lavoie & Peter R Leavitt & Hugh MacIsaac & Michael E J Masson & Marc-Andre Villard, 2016. "Bias in Research Grant Evaluation Has Dire Consequences for Small Universities," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-19, June.
    12. Marion Fourcade & Etienne Ollion & Yann Algan, 2015. "La superioridad de los economistas," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 17(33), pages 13-43, July-Dece.
    13. João Ricardo Faria & Peter McAdam, 2015. "Academic productivity before and after tenure: the case of the ‘specialist’," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 67(2), pages 291-309.
    14. João Ricardo Faria & Franklin G. Mixon, 2021. "The Marginal Impact of a Publication on Citations, and Its Effect on Academic Pay," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(9), pages 8217-8226, September.
    15. João Ricardo Faria & Gonçalo Monteiro, 2008. "The Tenure Game: Building Up Academic Habits," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 59(3), pages 370-380, September.
    16. João R. FARIA & Franklin G. MIXON, Jr. & Kamal P. UPADHYAYA, 2017. "Human capital and collegiality in academic beehives: Theory and analysis of European Economics faculties," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(1(610), S), pages 147-162, Spring.
    17. Franklin Mixon & Len Trevino, 2005. "Is there gender discrimination in named professorships? An econometric analysis of economics departments in the US South," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(8), pages 849-854.
    18. Franklin G. Mixon & Kamal P. Upadhyaya, 2016. "Ranking economics departments in the US South: an update," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(17), pages 1224-1228, November.
    19. Franklin G. Mixon, Jr & Kamal P. Upadhyaya, 2011. "Assessing The Relative Impacts Of Economic Education Scholarship: An Application Of The Harzing Database," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(2), pages 166-176, April.
    20. Alexander Oettl, 2012. "Reconceptualizing Stars: Scientist Helpfulness and Peer Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(6), pages 1122-1140, June.
    21. Howard Bodenhorn, 1997. "Teachers, and Scholars Too: Economic Scholarship at Elite Liberal Arts Colleges," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 323-336, December.
    22. John P. Conley & Ali Sina Onder, 2014. "The Research Productivity of New PhDs in Economics: The Surprisingly High Non-success of the Successful," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(3), pages 205-216, Summer.
    23. Ho Fai Chan & Benno Torgler, 2020. "Gender differences in performance of top cited scientists by field and country," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(3), pages 2421-2447, December.
    24. M. Fourcade & E. Ollion & Y. Algan, 2015. "The Superiority of Economists," Voprosy Ekonomiki, NP Voprosy Ekonomiki, issue 7.
    25. Franklin G. Mixon, 2018. "Do academics swing for the fences after tenure? Analysis of attributions data from economics research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(3), pages 2155-2160, September.
    26. João R. FARIA & Franklin G. MIXON, Jr. & Kamal P. UPADHYAYA, 2017. "Human capital and collegiality in academic beehives: Theory and analysis of European Economics faculties," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(1(610), S), pages 147-162, Spring.
    27. Jonathan Brogaard & Joseph Engelberg & Edward Van Wesep, 2018. "Do Economists Swing for the Fences after Tenure?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 32(1), pages 179-194, Winter.
    28. Jennifer L. Doleac & Erin Hengel & Elizabeth Pancotti, 2021. "Diversity in Economics Seminars: Who Gives Invited Talks?," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 111, pages 55-59, May.
    29. Chen Qian & Steven B. Caudill & Franklin G. Mixon Jr., 2016. "Engaged in teaching, and scholarship too: economics faculty productivity at national liberal arts colleges," International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 7(4), pages 360-372.
    30. Franklin G. Mixon & Kamal Upadhyaya, 2016. "Out of Big Brother's Shadow: Ranking Economics Faculties at Regional Universities in the U.S. South," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 36(3), pages 1609-1615.
    31. Paul Oyer, 2006. "Initial Labor Market Conditions and Long-Term Outcomes for Economists," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(3), pages 143-160, Summer.
    32. João R. Faria & Franklin G. Mixon & Kamal P. Upadhyaya, 2016. "Human capital, collegiality, and stardom in economics: empirical analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 106(3), pages 917-943, March.
    33. Timothy Perri, 2018. "Economics of evaluation (with special reference to promotion and tenure committees)," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-19, February.
    34. Marion Fourcade & Etienne Ollion & Yann Algan, 2015. "The Superiority of Economists," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(1), pages 89-114, Winter.
    35. Fouad El Ouardighi & Konstantin Kogan & Radu Vranceanu, 2013. "Publish or Teach ? : Analysis of the Professor's Optimal Career Plan," Working Papers hal-00823514, HAL.
    36. Melody Lo & M. C. Sunny Wong & Franklin G. Mixon, 2008. "Ranking Economics Journals, Economics Departments, and Economists Using Teaching‐Focused Research Productivity," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 74(3), pages 894-906, January.
    37. Melody Lo & M.C. Sunny Wong & Franklin G. Mixon Jr, 2008. "Ranking Economics Journals, Economics Departments, and Economists Using Teaching-Focused Research Productivity," Southern Economic Journal, Southern Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 894-906, January.
    38. Kasper, Hirschel, et al, 1991. "The Education of Economists: From Undergraduate to Graduate Studies," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 29(3), pages 1088-1109, September.
    39. João Ricardo Faria, 2003. "What type of economist are you:r‐strategist orK‐strategist?," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(2), pages 144-154, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fulya Y. Ersoy & Jennifer Pate, 2023. "Invisible hurdles: Gender and institutional differences in the evaluation of economics papers," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(4), pages 777-797, October.
    2. João Ricardo Faria & Franklin G. Mixon & William C. Sawyer, 2023. "Human Capital, Networks and Segmentation in the Market for Academic Economists," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, June.
    3. van Dalen, Hendrik Peter, 2020. "How the Publish-or-Perish Principle Divides a Science : The Case of Academic Economists," Other publications TiSEM 6fbb6b92-0e06-4271-b6e7-3, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Jenny Bourne & Nathan Grawe & Nathan D. Grawe & Michael Hemesath & Maya Jensen, 2022. "Scholarly Activity among Economists at Liberal Arts Colleges: A Life Cycle Analysis," Working Papers 2022-01, Carleton College, Department of Economics.
    5. Carlo D'Ippoliti & Lucio Gobbi & Christian A. Mongeau Ospina & Giulia Zacchia, 2023. "Social determinants of citations: An empirical analysis of UK economists," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(4), pages 827-858, November.
    6. Franklin G. Mixon & Benno Torgler & Kamal P. Upadhyaya, 2022. "Committees or Markets? An Exploratory Analysis of Best Paper Awards in Economics," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-15, May.
    7. Alexandre Truc, 2023. "Neuroeconomics: Hype or Hope? An Answer," Post-Print hal-04719266, HAL.
    8. Timothy Perri, 2018. "Economics of evaluation (with special reference to promotion and tenure committees)," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-19, February.
    9. W. Benedikt Schmal, 2024. "How transformative are transformative agreements? Evidence from Germany across disciplines," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(3), pages 1863-1889, March.
    10. Alberto Baccini & Lucio Barabesi & Carlo Debernardi, 2025. "Exploring the Shape of Economics: A Multilayer Network Analysis of Social Communities and Intellectual Similarity Among Journals Before and After the 2008 Financial Crisis," Papers 2508.09079, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2026.
    11. Carattini, Stefano & Blasch, Julia, 2024. "Nudging when the descriptive norm is low: Evidence from a carbon offsetting field experiment," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    12. Etienne Farvaque & Frédéric Gannon, 2018. "Profiling giants: the networks and influence of Buchanan and Tullock," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 175(3), pages 277-302, June.
    13. João Ricardo Faria & Rajeev K. Goel, 2026. "The Original Ideas Game and the Vanishing of the Absurd Heroes: Academic Reputation Hierarchies and Their Implications," CESifo Working Paper Series 12590, CESifo.
    14. Franklin G. Mixon & Kamal Upadhyaya, 2016. "Out of Big Brother's Shadow: Ranking Economics Faculties at Regional Universities in the U.S. South," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 36(3), pages 1609-1615.
    15. William W. Olney, 2017. "English Proficiency And Labor Market Performance: Evidence From The Economics Profession," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(1), pages 202-222, January.
    16. David A. Spencer, 2023. "Automation and Well-Being: Bridging the Gap between Economics and Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(2), pages 271-281, October.
    17. repec:osf:socarx:xygzb_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Matthias Aistleitner & Stephan Puehringer, 2023. "Biased Trade Narratives and Its Influence on Development Studies: A Multi-level Mixed-Method Approach," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(6), pages 1322-1346, December.
    19. Alexandre Truc & Dorian Jullien, 2023. "A controversy about modeling practices: the case of inequity aversion," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(3), pages 203-227, July.
    20. Lorenzo Ductor & Bauke Visser, 2023. "Concentration of power at the editorial boards of economics journals," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(2), pages 189-238, April.
    21. Joshua Angrist & Marc Diederichs, 2024. "Dissertation Paths: Advisors and Students in the Economics Research Production Function," NBER Working Papers 33281, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ajecsc:v:83:y:2024:i:1:p:75-91. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0002-9246 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.