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Determinants of research production at top US Universities

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  • Quentin Max David

Abstract

In this article, I analyze the determinants of research production by higher education institutions in the US. I use four measures to build an index of top-level academic research production. I show that it is important to account for the presence of outliers in both dimensions (X and Y axes) and that most top-ranked institutions can be considered outliers. I find that university income, the share of income devoted to research expenses, and faculty size significantly increase the ability of an institution to produce toplevel academic research. I also show that the relationship between average professor quality (proxied by salary) and the production of research is U-shaped, with a significant share of institutions located on the decreasing part of the curve.

Suggested Citation

  • Quentin Max David, 2014. "Determinants of research production at top US Universities," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/194594, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    • Handle: RePEc:ulb:ulbeco:2013/194594
    Note: SCOPUS: re.j
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