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  4. June 2020
  5. Publishing and Promotion in Economics: The Tyranny of the Top Five

Journal of Economic Literature

ISSN 0022-0515 (Print) | ISSN 2328-8175 (Online)

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

  • James J. Heckman
  • Sidharth Moktan
Journal of Economic Literature
vol. 58, no. 2, June 2020
(pp. 419–70)
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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.

Citation

Heckman, James J., and Sidharth Moktan. 2020. "Publishing and Promotion in Economics: The Tyranny of the Top Five." Journal of Economic Literature, 58 (2): 419–70. DOI: 10.1257/jel.20191574

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • A14 Sociology of Economics
  • I23 Higher Education; Research Institutions
  • J44 Professional Labor Markets; Occupational Licensing
  • J62 Job, Occupational, and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion