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Publish or teach? Analysis of the professor's optimal career path

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  • El Ouardighi, Fouad
  • Kogan, Konstantin
  • Vranceanu, Radu

Abstract

This paper analyzes how faculty members dynamically allocate their efforts between improving their research and teaching skills, taking into account the organizational structures and incentives implemented by academic institutions. The model builds on the assumption that organizational structures have an impact on the nature of spillover effects between teaching and research competencies. We analyze the dynamic equilibrium under unilateral and bilateral spillovers, using the no-spillover case as a benchmark. The bilateral spillover case is the most appealing as it achieves the highest overall performance; however, the nature of the equilibrium and the career paths can be quite different depending on the parameters of the problem such as the obsolescence of competencies or the strength of the spillover effect. This finding provides interesting insights on what could be the most productive configuration of a higher education institution.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:37:y:2013:i:10:p:1995-2009
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2013.05.007
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    Cited by:

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    2. Mikhail V. Vinichenko & Alexander V. Melnichuk & Peter Karácsony, 2020. "Technologies of improving the university efficiency by using artificial intelligence: motivational aspect," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 7(4), pages 2696-2714, June.
    3. 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.
    4. Stefano Bianchini & Francesco Lissoni & Michele Pezzoni & Lorenzo Zirulia, 2016. "The economics of research, consulting, and teaching quality: theory and evidence from a technical university," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(7), pages 668-691, October.
    5. Feichtinger, G. & Grass, D. & Kort, P.M., 2019. "Optimal scientific production over the life cycle," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    6. João Ricardo Faria & Peter F. Wanke & João J. Ferreira & Franklin G. Mixon, 2018. "Research and innovation in higher education: empirical evidence from research and patenting in Brazil," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(1), pages 487-504, July.
    7. Andrea Seidl & Stefan Wrzaczek & Fouad El Ouardighi & Gustav Feichtinger, 2016. "Optimal Career Strategies and Brain Drain in Academia," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 268-295, January.
    8. Gustav Feichtinger & Dieter Grass & Maria Winkler-Dworak, 2020. "The mathematics of ageing:," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 28(2), pages 371-399, June.
    9. Besancenot, Damien & Vranceanu, Radu, 2024. "Reluctance to pursue breakthrough research: A signaling explanation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(4).
    10. Irina Ilina & Elena Kryukova & Elena Potekhina & Elena Abyzova & Irina Shadskaja, 2017. "Russian Lectures at the Crossroads of Reforms: Strategies of Survival and Adaptation," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(2B), pages 86-97.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Teaching; Research; Competency spillovers; Effort allocation; Faculty management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects

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