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On (And Off) the Hot Seat: An Analysis of Entry into and Out of University Administration

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  • John M. McDowell
  • Larry D. Singell Jr.
  • Mark Stater

Abstract

The authors investigate economists' decisions to enter and exit department chair positions in research-intensive economics departments of elite universities during the postwar era (1948–1989). They use the American Economic Association Survey of Members as well as phone surveys to determine which, and at what point in their careers, faculty assume administrative positions. The theoretical model predicts and empirical results confirm that a faster rate of knowledge depreciation in an economist's field of study reduces the entry and exit rates for the chair position. Moreover, among those who have exited the position of chair, longer terms of past chair service and faster knowledge depreciation accelerate the timing of movements into upper-level administration. The findings suggest that administrators are to some extent made and not born, and that the growing specialization and technical nature of many professions could affect who chooses administrative careers and at what point in their careers they choose them.

Suggested Citation

  • John M. McDowell & Larry D. Singell Jr. & Mark Stater, 2011. "On (And Off) the Hot Seat: An Analysis of Entry into and Out of University Administration," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 64(5), pages 889-909, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:64:y:2011:i:5:p:889-909
    DOI: 10.1177/001979391106400503
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. McDowell, John M, 1982. "Obsolescence of Knowledge and Career Publication Profiles: Some Evidence of Differences among Fields in Costs of Interrupted Careers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(4), pages 752-768, September.
    2. Larry D. Singell & Jane H. Lillydahl, 1996. "Will Changing Times Change the Allocation of Faculty Time?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 31(2), pages 429-449.
    3. Daniel H. Saks, 1977. "How Much Does a Department Chairperson Cost?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 12(4), pages 535-540.
    4. Sauer, Raymond D, 1988. "Estimates of the Returns to Quality and Coauthorship in Economic Academia," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(4), pages 855-866, August.
    5. McDowell, John & Singell Jr., Larry D. & Stater, Mark, 2009. "Congratulations or condolences? The role of human capital in the cultivation of a university administrator," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 258-267, April.
    6. Ham, John C & LaLonde, Robert J, 1996. "The Effect of Sample Selection and Initial Conditions in Duration Models: Evidence from Experimental Data on Training," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(1), pages 175-205, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel S. Hamermesh, 2018. "Citations in Economics: Measurement, Uses, and Impacts," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 56(1), pages 115-156, March.
    2. Amanda H. Goodall & John M. McDowell & Larry D. Singell, 2017. "Do Economics Departments Improve after They Appoint a Top Scholar as Chairperson?," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(4), pages 546-564, November.

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