IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/scient/v111y2017i1d10.1007_s11192-017-2245-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Geographic mobility and research productivity in a selection of top world economics departments

Author

Listed:
  • Pedro Albarrán

    (Universidad de Alicante)

  • Raquel Carrasco

    (Universidad Carlos III)

  • Javier Ruiz-Castillo

    (Universidad Carlos III)

Abstract

In this paper, we study the spatial characteristics of a sample of 2605 highly productive economists, and a subsample of 332 economists with outstanding productivity. Individual productivity is measured in terms of a quality index that weights the number of publications up to 2007 in four journal classes. We analyze the following four issues. (1) The “funneling effect” towards the US and the clustering of scholars in the top US institutions. (2) The high degree of collective inbreeding in the training of elite members. (3) The partition of those born in a given country into brain drain (who work in a country different from their country of origin), brain circulation (who study and/or work abroad followed by a return to the home country), and stayers (whose entire academic career takes place in their country of origin). We also study the partition of the economists working in 2007 in a given geographical area into nationals (stayers plus brain circulation) and migrants (brain drained from other countries). (4) Finally, we estimate the research output in different geographical areas in two instances: when we classify researchers by the institution where they work in 2007, or by their country of origin.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Albarrán & Raquel Carrasco & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2017. "Geographic mobility and research productivity in a selection of top world economics departments," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 111(1), pages 241-265, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:111:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-017-2245-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-017-2245-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11192-017-2245-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11192-017-2245-x?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kim, E. Han & Morse, Adair & Zingales, Luigi, 2009. "Are elite universities losing their competitive edge?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(3), pages 353-381, September.
    2. Reinhilde Veugelers & Frederick Van der Ploeg, 2008. "Reforming European Universities: Scope for an Evidence-Based Process," CESifo Working Paper Series 2298, CESifo.
    3. DREZE, Jacques & ESTEVAN, Fernanda, 2006. "Research and higher education in economics: can we deliver the Lisbon objectives ?," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2006051, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    4. Sharon M. Oster & Daniel S. Hamermesh, 1998. "Aging And Productivity Among Economists," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 80(1), pages 154-156, February.
    5. Pedro Albarrán & Raquel Carrasco & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2017. "Are Migrants More Productive Than Stayers? Some Evidence From A Set Of Highly Productive Academic Economists," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(3), pages 1308-1323, July.
    6. Albarrán, Pedro & Carrasco, Raquel & Ruiz-Castillo, Javier, 2014. "The elite in economics," UC3M Working papers. Economics we1414, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    7. Rabah Amir & Malgorzata Knauff, 2008. "Ranking Economics Departments Worldwide on the Basis of PhD Placement," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(1), pages 185-190, August.
    8. Aparna Basu, 2006. "Using ISI's 'Highly Cited Researchers' to obtain a country level indicator of citation excellence," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 68(3), pages 361-375, September.
    9. Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2008. "Economics research in Spain during the 1990s: a literature review," Spanish Economic Review, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 10(3), pages 221-249, September.
    10. Borjas, George J., 1999. "The economic analysis of immigration," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 28, pages 1697-1760, Elsevier.
    11. Oded Stark, 2005. "The New Economics of the Brain Drain," World Economics, World Economics, 1 Ivory Square, Plantation Wharf, London, United Kingdom, SW11 3UE, vol. 6(2), pages 137-140, April.
    12. Frédéric Docquier & Hillel Rapoport, 2012. "Globalization, Brain Drain, and Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 50(3), pages 681-730, September.
    13. Tom Coupé & Valérie Smeets & Frédéric Warzynski, 2006. "Incentives, Sorting and Productivity along the Career: Evidence from a Sample of Top Economists," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 137-167, April.
    14. Luc Bauwens & Giordano Mion & Jacques-François Thisse, 2011. "The Resistible Decline of European Science," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 77(4), pages 5-31.
    15. George J. Borjas & Bernt Bratsberg, 2021. "Who Leaves? The Outmigration Of The Foreign-Born," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Foundational Essays in Immigration Economics, chapter 5, pages 93-104, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    16. Michael Batty, 2003. "The Geography of Scientific Citation," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 35(5), pages 761-765, May.
    17. Jacques H. Drèze & Fernanda Estevan, 2007. "Roundtable on Research and Higher Education in Economics Research and Higher Education in Economics: Can We Deliver the Lisbon Objectives?," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 5(2-3), pages 271-304, 04-05.
    18. Michel Lubrano & Luc Bauwens & Alan Kirman & Camelia Protopopescu, 2003. "Ranking Economics Departments in Europe: A Statistical Approach," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(6), pages 1367-1401, December.
    19. Anne E Winkler & Sharon G Levin & Paula E Stephan & Wolfgang Gl&aauml;nzel, 2014. "Publishing Trends in Economics across Colleges and Universities, 1991–2007," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 40(4), pages 560-582, September.
    20. Philippe Aghion & Mathias Dewatripont & Caroline Hoxby & Andreu Mas-Colell & André Sapir, . "Higher aspirations- an agenda for reforming European universities," Bruegel Blueprints, Bruegel, number 1.
    21. Albarrán, Pedro & Carrasco, Raquel & Ruiz-Castillo, Javier, 2015. "The effect of spatial mobility and other factors on academic productivity : some evidence from a set of highly productive economists," UC3M Working papers. Economics we1415, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    22. Rosalind S. Hunter & Andrew J. Oswald & Bruce G. Charlton, 2009. "The Elite Brain Drain," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 119(538), pages 231-251, June.
    23. Pierre-Philippe Combes & Laurent Linnemer, 2003. "Where are the Economists Who Publish? Publication Concentration and Rankings in Europe Based on Cumulative Publications," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(6), pages 1250-1308, December.
    24. Thijs A. Velema, 2012. "The contingent nature of brain gain and brain circulation: their foreign context and the impact of return scientists on the scientific community in their country of origin," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 93(3), pages 893-913, December.
    25. Kodrzycki Yolanda K. & Yu Pingkang, 2006. "New Approaches to Ranking Economics Journals," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 1-44, August.
    26. Panaretos, John & Malesios, Chrisovalandis, 2012. "Influential Mathematicians: Birth, Education and Affiliation," MPRA Paper 68046, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    27. Michael Rauber & Heinrich W. Ursprung, 2008. "Life Cycle and Cohort Productivity in Economic Research: The Case of Germany," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 9(4), pages 431-456, November.
    28. Raquel Carrasco & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2014. "The Evolution Of The Scientific Productivity Of Highly Productive Economists," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 52(1), pages 1-16, January.
    29. repec:bla:germec:v:9:y:2008:i::p:431-456 is not listed on IDEAS
    30. Kalaitzidakis, P. & Mamuneas, T.P. & Stengos, T., 2003. "Rankings of Academic Journals and Institutions," Working Papers 2003-8, University of Guelph, Department of Economics and Finance.
    31. Grit Laudel, 2003. "Studying the brain drain: Can bibliometric methods help?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 57(2), pages 215-237, June.
    32. Rosalind S Hunter, 2009. "The Elite Brain Drain," Working Papers id:2048, eSocialSciences.
    33. Laband, David N & Piette, Michael J, 1994. "The Relative Impacts of Economics Journals: 1970-1990," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 640-666, June.
    34. Pantelis Kalaitzidakis & Theofanis P. Mamuneas & Thanasis Stengos, 2003. "Rankings of Academic Journals and Institutions in Economics," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(6), pages 1346-1366, December.
    35. Antonio Perianes-Rodriguez & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2015. "Within- and between-department variability in individual productivity: the case of economics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(2), pages 1497-1520, February.
    36. Waltman, Ludo & van Eck, Nees Jan, 2015. "Field-normalized citation impact indicators and the choice of an appropriate counting method," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 872-894.
    37. Tommaso Agasisti & Giuseppe Catalano & Paolo Landoni & Roberto Verganti, 2012. "Evaluating the performance of academic departments: an analysis of research-related output efficiency," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 21(1), pages 2-14, February.
    38. Vincent Larivière & Benoit Macaluso & Éric Archambault & Yves Gingras, 2010. "Which scientific elites? On the concentration of research funds, publications and citations," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 45-53, March.
    39. Dosi, Giovanni & Llerena, Patrick & Labini, Mauro Sylos, 2006. "The relationships between science, technologies and their industrial exploitation: An illustration through the myths and realities of the so-called `European Paradox'," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 1450-1464, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Raquel Carrasco & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2019. "Spatial mobility in elite academic institutions in economics: the case of Spain," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 10(2), pages 141-172, June.
    2. He, Zekai & Zhen, Ni & Wu, Chaojiang, 2019. "Measuring and exploring the geographic mobility of American professors from graduating institutions: Differences across disciplines, academic ranks, and genders," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 771-784.
    3. Liu, Meijun & Hu, Xiao, 2021. "Will collaborators make scientists move? A Generalized Propensity Score analysis," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1).
    4. Rodrigo Dorantes-Gilardi & Aurora A. Ramírez-Álvarez & Diana Terrazas-Santamaría, 2023. "Is there a differentiated gender effect of collaboration with super-cited authors? Evidence from junior researchers in economics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(4), pages 2317-2336, April.
    5. Abdelghani Maddi & Lesya Baudoin, 2022. "The quality of the web of science data: a longitudinal study on the completeness of authors-addresses links," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(11), pages 6279-6292, November.
    6. Irene Finocchi & Andrea Ribichini & Marco Schaerf, 2023. "An analysis of international mobility and research productivity in computer science," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(11), pages 6147-6175, November.
    7. Konstantinos Chatzimichael & Pantelis Kalaitzidakis & Vangelis Tzouvelekas, 2017. "Measuring the publishing productivity of economics departments in Europe," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 113(2), pages 889-908, November.
    8. Fan Jiang & Nian Cai Liu, 2020. "New wine in old bottles? Examining institutional hierarchy in laureate mobility networks, 1900–2017," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(2), pages 1291-1304, November.
    9. Chang, Ying-Han & Huang, Mu-Hsuan, 2023. "Analysis of factors affecting scientific migration move and distance by academic age, migrant type, and country: Migrant researchers in the field of business and management," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1).
    10. Maksym Polyakov & Serhiy Polyakov & Md Sayed Iftekhar, 2017. "Does academic collaboration equally benefit impact of research across topics? The case of agricultural, resource, environmental and ecological economics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 113(3), pages 1385-1405, December.
    11. Cheng Peng & Zhepeng (Lionel) Li & Chaojiang Wu, 2023. "Researcher geographic mobility and publication productivity: an investigation into individual and institutional characteristics and the roles of academicians," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(1), pages 379-406, January.
    12. Tolga Yuret, 2020. "Co-worker network: How closely are researchers who published in the top five economics journals related?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 124(3), pages 2301-2317, September.
    13. Alejandro Vega-Muñoz & Paloma Gónzalez-Gómez-del-Miño & Juan Felipe Espinosa-Cristia, 2021. "Recognizing New Trends in Brain Drain Studies in the Framework of Global Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-27, March.
    14. Han, Fang & Zhang, Ruhao & Zhang, Shengtai & Yuan, Junpeng, 2024. "International mobility characteristics, effects of, and effects on elite scientists," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1).
    15. John O’Hagan, 2021. "Top graduate programmes in economics: Historical evolution and recent evidence," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(3), pages 378-395, August.

    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. Raquel Carrasco & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2019. "Spatial mobility in elite academic institutions in economics: the case of Spain," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 10(2), pages 141-172, June.
    2. Pedro Albarrán & Raquel Carrasco & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2017. "Are Migrants More Productive Than Stayers? Some Evidence From A Set Of Highly Productive Academic Economists," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(3), pages 1308-1323, July.
    3. Raquel Carrasco & Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2014. "The Evolution Of The Scientific Productivity Of Highly Productive Economists," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 52(1), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Ana Rute Cardoso & Paulo Guimarães & Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2010. "Trends in Economic Research: An International Perspective," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(4), pages 479-494, November.
    5. Daniel S. Hamermesh, 2018. "Citations in Economics: Measurement, Uses, and Impacts," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 56(1), pages 115-156, March.
    6. Rauber Michael & Ursprung Heinrich W., 2008. "Life Cycle and Cohort Productivity in Economic Research: The Case of Germany," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 9(4), pages 431-456, December.
    7. Ana Rute Cardoso & Paulo Guimarães & Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2010. "Comparing the early research performance of PhD graduates in labor economics in Europe and the USA," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 84(3), pages 621-637, September.
    8. Stelios Katranidis & Theodore Panagiotidis & Costas Zontanos, 2017. "Economists, Research Performance and National Inbreeding: North Versus South," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 46(1), pages 145-163, February.
    9. Günther G. Schulze & Susanne Warning & Christian Wiermann, 2008. "Zeitschriftenrankings für die Wirtschaftswissenschaften – Konstruktion eines umfassenden Metaindexes," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 9(3), pages 286-305, August.
    10. David Anderson & John Tressler, 2008. "Research output in New Zealand economics departments 2000-2006: A stock approach," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 155-189.
    11. Eduardo A. Haddad & Jesus P. Mena-Chalco, Otávio J.G. Sidone, 2016. "Produção Científica e Redes de Colaboração dos Docentes Vinculados aos Programas de Pós-graduação em Economia no Brasil," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2016_10, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    12. repec:bla:germec:v:9:y:2008:i::p:431-456 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Tombazos, Christis G., 2005. "A revisionist perspective of European research in economics," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 251-277, February.
    14. Chagas , André Luis Squarize, 2017. "Publish or Perish: um ranking de revistas da subárea de Economia Regional e Urbana para os pesquisadores brasileiros," Revista Brasileira de Estudos Regionais e Urbanos, Associação Brasileira de Estudos Regionais e Urbanos (ABER), vol. 11(4), pages 515-536.
    15. Launov, Andrey & Graber, Michael & Wälde, Klaus, 2007. "How to get tenured (in Germany, in Economics)," W.E.P. - Würzburg Economic Papers 75, University of Würzburg, Department of Economics.
    16. Javier Ruiz-Castillo, 2008. "Economics research in Spain during the 1990s: a literature review," Spanish Economic Review, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 10(3), pages 221-249, September.
    17. James B. Davies & Martin G. Kocher & Matthias Sutter, 2008. "Economics research in Canada: a long-run assessment of journal publications," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 41(1), pages 22-45, February.
    18. Michael Rauber & Heinrich Ursprung, 2006. "Evaluation of Researchers: A Life Cycle Analysis of German Academic Economists," CESifo Working Paper Series 1673, CESifo.
    19. J. Paul Elhorst & Katarina Zigova, 2011. "Evidence of Competition in Research Activity among Economic Department using Spatial Econometric Techniques," Working Paper Series of the Department of Economics, University of Konstanz 2011-04, Department of Economics, University of Konstanz.
    20. Libman, A., 2010. "Economics in Germany – from National to Global," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, issue 8, pages 155-158.
    21. Klaus Ritzberger, 2008. "Eine invariante Bewertung wirtschaftswissenschaftlicher Fachzeitschriften," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 9(3), pages 267-285, August.

    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:spr:scient:v:111:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-017-2245-x. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.