Does Science Advance One Funeral at a Time?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Azoulay, Pierre; Fons-Rosen, Christian; Zivin, Joshua S. Graff
• 署名单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); National Bureau of Economic Research; University of California System; University of California Merced; University of California System; University of California San Diego
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.20161574
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 2889-2920
• 关键词: research productivity; collaboration; scientists; INNOVATION; KNOWLEDGE; PRINCIPLE; networks

摘要

We examine how the premature death of eminent life scientists alters the vitality of their fields. While the flow of articles by collaborators into affected fields decreases after the death of a star scientist, the flow of articles by non-collaborators increases markedly. This surge in contributions from outsiders draws upon a different scientific corpus and is disproportionately likely to be highly cited. While outsiders appear reluctant to challenge leadership within a field when the star is alive, the loss of a luminary provides an opportunity for fields to evolve in new directions that advance the frontier of knowledge.