The Role of Connections in Academic Promotions

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zinovyeva, Natalia; Bagues, Manuel
• 署名单位: Aalto University
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20120337
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 264-292
• 关键词: mills ratio; professors; ECONOMICS; networks; skills

摘要

This paper analyzes how evaluators' private information and subjective biases affect evaluations in academia. We use evidence from centralized selection exams in Spain, where evaluators are randomly assigned to promotion committees. Candidates are significantly more likely to be promoted when they are evaluated by an acquainted evaluator, but the source of the premium depends on the nature of this relationship. Our findings suggest that, when candidates are evaluated by their PhD advisor, a colleague or a coauthor, evaluation biases dominate the potential impact of informational gains. Weaker links, on the other hand, may improve the efficiency of the selection process.