Peer effects in science: evidence from the dismissal of scientists in Nazi Germany

Waldinger, Fabian (2012) Peer effects in science: evidence from the dismissal of scientists in Nazi Germany. Review of Economic Studies, 79 (2). pp. 838-861. ISSN 0034-6527

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Abstract

This paper analyses peer effects among university scientists. Specifically, it investigates whether the quality and the number of peers affect the productivity of researchers in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. The usual endogeneity problems related to estimating peer effects are addressed by using the dismissal of scientists by the Nazi government in 1933 as a source of exogenous variation in the peer group of scientists staying in Germany. To investigate localized peer effects, I construct a new panel data set covering the universe of scientists at the German universities from 1925 to 1938 from historical sources. I find no evidence for peer effects at the local level. Even very high-quality scientists do not affect the productivity of their local peers.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://restud.oxfordjournals.org/
Additional Information:	© 2011 The Author
Divisions:	Management
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
JEL classification:	I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education > I20 - General I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education > I23 - Higher Education Research Institutions I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education > I28 - Government Policy J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J15 - Economics of Minorities and Races; Non-labor Discrimination J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Time Allocation, Work Behavior, and Employment Determination and Creation; Human Capital; Retirement > J24 - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity N - Economic History > N3 - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Income, and Wealth > N33 - Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Income and Wealth: Europe: Pre-1913 N - Economic History > N4 - Government, War, Law, and Regulation > N44 - Europe: 1913-
Date Deposited:	22 Nov 2016 14:46
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 00:17
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/68323

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