Social Ties and Favoritism in Chinese Science

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Fisman, Raymond; Shi, Jing; Wang, Yongxiang; Xu, Rong
• 署名单位: Boston University; Jiangxi University of Finance & Economics; Macquarie University; University of Southern California; Renmin University of China
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-3808
• DOI: 10.1086/697086
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 1134-1171
• 关键词: productivity growth; associations; connections; allocation; Talent

摘要

We study favoritism via hometown ties, a common source of favor exchange in China, in fellow selection of the Chinese Academies of Sciences and Engineering. Hometown ties to fellow selection committee members increase candidates' election probability by 39 percent, coming entirely from the selection stage involving an in-person meeting. Elected hometown-connected candidates are half as likely to have a high-impact publication as elected fellows without connections. CAS/CAE membership increases the probability of university leadership appointments and is associated with a US$9.5 million increase in annual funding for fellows' institutions, indicating that hometown favoritism has potentially large effects on resource allocation.