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The effectiveness of promotion incentives for public employees: evidence from Italian academia

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  • Marco Nieddu
  • Lorenzo Pandolfi

Abstract

We investigate how promotion incentives affect the productivity of a large sample of high-skilled public employees: academics. In a fuzzy regression-discontinuity design, we exploit the three bibliometric thresholds of the 2012 National Scientific Qualification (NSQ), the centralized evaluation procedure regulating career advancements in Italian universities. We compare the 2013–16 research productivity of assistant professors barely qualified for associate professor—whose next goal becomes meeting the higher thresholds for the full professor qualification—with the productivity of candidates who barely miss the qualification—whose goal remains meeting the associate professor thresholds. We find that barely qualified scholars publish significantly more papers than their non-qualified colleagues, in journals of comparable quality. Our results emphasize the importance of promotion incentives as an effective incentivizing tool in public universities and more in general public organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Marco Nieddu & Lorenzo Pandolfi, 2022. "The effectiveness of promotion incentives for public employees: evidence from Italian academia," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 37(112), pages 697-748.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ecpoli:v:37:y:2022:i:112:p:697-748.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/epolic/eiac017
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    Cited by:

    1. De Paola, Maria & Nistico, Roberto & Scoppa, Vincenzo, 2021. "Academic Careers and Fertility Decisions," IZA Discussion Papers 14040, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Filandri, Marianna & Pasqua, Silvia, 2019. "Gender discrimination in academic careers in Italy," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201921, University of Turin.
    3. Erika Deserranno & Philipp Kastrau & Gianmarco León-Ciliotta, 2021. "Promotions and Productivity: The Role of Meritocracy and Pay Progression in the Public Sector," Working Papers 1239, Barcelona School of Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    I23; J45; M51; O31;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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