Journal of Economic Literature Vol. 58 No. 2 2020

Publishing and Promotion in Economics: The Tyranny of the Top Five

James J. Heckman¹; Sidharth Moktan²

¹ Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, Director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago, Director of the Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group sponsored by INET, and a Research Professor for the American Ba · ² Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago.

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between placement of publications in top five (T5) journals and receipt of tenure in academic economics departments. Analyzing the job histories of tenure–track economists hired by the top 35 US economics departments, we find that T5 publications have a powerful influence on tenure decisions and rates of transition to tenure. A survey of the perceptions of young economists supports the formal statistical analysis. Pursuit of T5 publications has become the obsession of the next generation of economists. However, the T5 screen is far from reliable. A substantial share of influential publications appear in non-T5 outlets. Reliance on the T5 to screen talent incentivizes careerism over creativity.

DOI

10.1257/jel.20191574

Volume

58

Issue

2

Pages

419-470

Language

en

Sources

crossref openalex

Cite

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