| By: |
Chih-Sheng Hsieh (Department of Economics, National Taiwan University);
Michael D König (Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), London);
Xiaodong Liu (Department of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder);
Christian Zimmermann (Department of Economic Research, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) |
| Abstract: |
This paper studies the impact of collaboration on research output. First, we
build a micro-founded model for scientific knowledge production, where
collaboration between researchers is represented by a bipartite network. The
Nash equilibrium of the game incorporates both the complementarity effect
between collaborating researchers and the substitutability effect between
concurrent projects of the same researcher. Next, we propose a Bayesian MCMC
procedure to estimate the structural parameters, taking into account the
endogenous participation of researchers in projects. Finally, we illustrate
the empirical relevance of the model by analyzing the coauthorship network of
economists registered in the RePEc Author Service. The estimated
complementarity and substitutability effects are both positive and significant
when the endogenous matching between researchers and projects is controlled
for, and are downward biased otherwise. To show the importance of correctly
estimating the structural model in policy evaluation, we conduct a
counterfactual analysis of research incentives. We find that the effectiveness
of research incentives tends to be understated when the complementarity effect
is ignored and overstated when the substitutability effect is ignored. |
| Keywords: |
bipartite networks, coauthorship networks, research collaboration, spillovers, economics of science |
| Date: |
2022–02 |
| URL: |
http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ntw:wpaper:2202&r= |