Informal Intellectual Collaboration with Central Colleagues

Category: Finance Brown Bag Seminar
When: 01 November 2017
, 14:00
 - 15:00
Where: HoF E.20 ("DZ Bank")
Speaker: Co-Pierre Georg

Authors: Co-Pierre Georg (Deutsche Bundesbank, University of Capetown), Daniel Opolot (University of Capetown) and Michael E. Rose (University of Capetown)

Title: Informal Intellectual Collaboration with Central Colleagues

Abstract: When preparing a research article, academics engage in informal intellectual collaboration by asking their colleagues for feedback. This collaboration gives rise to a social network between academics. We study whether informal intellectual collaboration with an academic who is more central in this social network results in a research article having higher scientific impact. To address the well-known reflection problem in estimating network effects, we use the assignment of discussants at NBER summer institutes as a quasi-natural experiment. We show that manuscripts discussed by a discussant with a 10% higher than average Bonacich centrality rank results in 1.4% more citations and a 5% higher probability that an article is published in a top journal. To illustrate our results, we develop a structural model in which a positive externality from intellectual collaboration implies that collaborating with a more central colleague results in larger scientific impact of the research article.

 

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