Research
Working Papers
Climbing Atop the Publication Paywall: The Impact of Submission Fees on Researchers and Journals (Draft Available Upon Request)
Abstract
Submission charges have become increasingly common in academic journals within the field of economics. In this paper, I investigate the consequences of the rise of submission fees for the different actors in the publication arena. Using a regression discontinuity approach, I observe a decrease in the publication chances in journals introducing fees for junior researchers and authors affiliated with lower-ranked universities. These results are mainly driven by solo authored papers. Authors' gender instead, does not play a role in the results. I then assess if the quality of published articles is negatively impacted by the fees, using citations as a proxy for quality, and find no difference on citation probability of papers published after their introduction. Additionally, I examine whether these journals become more efficient in the publication process. I find that the time from submission to (online) publication does not change significantly after the introduction of the fees. Finally, I observe a significant change in the topics covered in the published articles. My results show that the most common JEL codes become less frequent once the fees are implemented.
The Fast and the Studious? Ramadan Observance and Student Performance
Joint work with Olivier Marie and Kyra Hanemaaijer
Abstract
What are the consequences of religious obligations conflicting with civic duties? We investigate this question by evaluating changes in the performance of practicing Muslim students when end-of-secondary-school exams and Ramadan overlapped in the Netherlands. Using administrative data on exam takers and a machine learning model to individually predict fasting probability, we estimate that the grades and pass rate of compliers dropped significantly. This negative impact was especially strong for low achievers and those from religiously segregated schools. Investigating mechanisms, we find suggestive evidence that not being able to sleep in the morning before an afternoon exam was particularly detrimental to performance.
Job Market Stars (Draft Available Upon Request)
Joint work with Abel Brodeur and Lamis Kattan
Abstract
Graduating economics PhDs face intense competition when seeking faculty or research positions at universities and research institutions. We examine the relationship between statistically significant results, arguably used as indicators of research quality in a competitive academic market, and academic hiring outcomes. We start by investigating the determinants of academic success by analyzing 604 job market papers (JMPs) from 2018-2019 to 2020-2021. We then turn to the practice of p-hacking focusing on 150 empirical JMPs. We find evidence that marginally significant results in JMPs are associated with higher academic placement likelihoods. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a tighter job market strengthened this relationship without altering the p-hacking behavior of PhD candidates, suggesting that our results reflect a recruitment bias by academic employers. We also find evidence of publication bias, suggesting that recruiters may use statistical significance to gauge candidates’ potential for future publications, thus influencing recruitment decisions. Overall, our findings provide insights into the dynamics of the academic job market and the factors influencing career trajectories in academia.