Does Teaching Enhance Research in Economics?
Can you think of an instance in which your teaching enhanced your research? We have had several such experiences and wondered if it was a common phenomenon among economists. We asked several eminent economists if they could cite a specific study that emanated directly from their teaching. The original goal was to report some examples of how teaching could play a positive role in research. We expanded our goal, however, when we were swamped with examples. We found that (i) teaching plays a far more important role in enhancing research than the existing literature suggests, (ii) this influence is recognized by a large fraction of active researchers, and (iii) this positive effect of teaching on research occurs through a wide variety of channels.