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Evaluating Professor Value-added: Evidence from Professor and Student Matching in Physics

Author

Listed:
  • Yuta Kikuchi

    (GISS, Yokohama National University)

  • Ryo Nakajima

    (Faculty of Economics, Keio University)

Abstract

This paper estimates a professor's value added to a postgraduate student's research achievement growth using unique panel data on matched advisor-advisee pairs in a world-leading physics graduate program. To address an identification problem related to the endogenous selection of advisors and advisees, we use professor turnover and estimate a semi-parametric lower bound of the variance in advisor quality affecting advisee research performance. We find that a one-standard-deviation increase in professor quality results in a 0.54 standard deviation increase in a doctoral student's research achievement growth, increasing the number of first-authored papers that are published in top journals by 0.64 at the doctoral level.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuta Kikuchi & Ryo Nakajima, 2016. "Evaluating Professor Value-added: Evidence from Professor and Student Matching in Physics," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2016-002, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    • Handle: RePEc:keo:dpaper:2016-002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    knowledge creation; postgraduate education; faculty quality; research apprenticeship;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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