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Academic Careers: A Cross-country Perspective. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 37

Author

Listed:
  • Jürgen Janger
  • Anna Strauss

    (Austrian Institute of Economic Research)

  • David Campbell

    (Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt)

Abstract

Asymmetric international mobility of highly talented scientists is well documented. We try contributing to the explanation of this phenomenon, looking at the "competitiveness" of higher education systems in terms of being able to attract talented scientists in their field. We characterise countries' capability to offer attractive entry positions into academic careers using the results of a large scale experiment on the determinants of job choice in academia. Examined areas refer to the level of salaries, quality of life, PhD studies, career perspectives, research organisation, balance between teaching and research, funding and probability of working with high quality peers. Our results indicate that overall, the US research universities offer the most attractive jobs for early stage researchers, consistent with the asymmetric flow of talented scientists to the USA. Behind the USA is a group of well performing European countries, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Austria and Germany are next, closely followed by France, which in turn is followed by Italy. Spain and Poland are, according to our results, least able to offer attractive entry positions to an academic career.

Suggested Citation

  • Jürgen Janger & Anna Strauss & David Campbell, 2013. "Academic Careers: A Cross-country Perspective. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 37," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 46923.
    • Handle: RePEc:wfo:wstudy:46923
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Karl Aiginger, 2016. "New Dynamics for Europe: Reaping the Benefits of Socio-ecological Transition – Part I: Synthesis. WWWforEurope Deliverable No. 11," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58791.
    2. Peter Huber, 2014. "Entlohnungs- und Anreizstrukturen in der Universitätsforschung. Analyse standardisierter Forscherprofile," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 87(1), pages 67-79, January.
    3. Karl Aiginger & Kurt Kratena & Margit Schratzenstaller & Teresa Weiss, 2014. "Moving Towards a New Growth Model. WWWforEurope Deliverable No. 3," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 47247.
    4. Jürgen Janger & Nicole Schmidt & Anna Strauss, 2019. "International Differences in Basic Research Grant Funding. A Systematic Comparison," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 61664.
    5. Jürgen Janger & Agnes Kügler, 2018. "Innovationseffizienz. Österreich im internationalen Vergleich," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 61111.
    6. Jürgen Janger, 2015. "Business Science Links For a New Growth Path. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 107," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58413.
    7. Alexander Ebner & Fabian Bocek, 2015. "Best Practices as to How to Support Investment in Intangible Assets. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 101," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58258.
    8. Jürgen Janger & Klaus Nowotny, 2014. "Bestimmungsfaktoren für die Arbeitsplatzwahl von Wissenschaftern und Wissenschafterinnen," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 87(1), pages 81-89, January.
    9. Georg Licht & Bettina Peters & Christian Köhler & Franz Schwiebacher, 2014. "The Potential Contribution of Innovation Systems to Socio-Ecological Transition. WWWforEurope Deliverable No. 4," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 47502.

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