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Science under Threat? A Natural Experiment in Economics

Author

Listed:
  • Dominic Rohner
  • Oliver Vanden Eynde
  • Philine Widmer

Abstract

Academic freedom has come under growing strain across the world. To study whether and how academics react to political pressure, we exploit a natural experiment: the U.S. government's ``blacklist'' of undesirable words released in early 2025. We find that the release of this list leads to a sharp reduction in the use of banned words in sensitive contexts among economists working at universities that rely heavily on NSF funding. The drop is particularly marked for content related to gender, race, and environment. Our findings are consistent with scholars responding strongly to political pressure through career incentives.

Suggested Citation

  • Dominic Rohner & Oliver Vanden Eynde & Philine Widmer, 2026. "Science under Threat? A Natural Experiment in Economics," CESifo Working Paper Series 12498, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12498
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    File URL: https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/cesifo1_wp12498.pdf
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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