Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP16676
Authors: Dani Rodrik; Jacob Greenspon
Abstract: Using Fontana et al.’s (2019) database, we analyze levels and trends in the global distribution of authorship in economics journals, disaggregating by country/region, quality of journal, and fields of specialization. We document striking imbalances. While Western and Northern European authors have made substantial gains, the representation of authors based in low-income countries remains extremely low -- an order of magnitude lower than the weight of their countries or regions in the global economy. Developing country representation has risen fastest at journals rated 100th or lower, while it has barely increased in journals rated 25th or higher. Fields such as international or development where global diversification may have been expected have not experienced much increase in developing country authorship. These results are consistent with a general increase in the relative supply of research in the rest of the world. But they also indicate authors from developing countries remain excluded from the profession’s top-rated journals.
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Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Economic output (GDP) (E23) | Representation of authors in top journals (A14) |
| Underrepresentation of developing country authors (F63) | Lack of diversity in economic research (J15) |
| Geographical concentration of authorship (R12) | Underrepresentation of developing country authors (F63) |
| Closed networks (D85) | Underrepresentation of developing country authors (F63) |
| Increasing prominence of authors from East Asia (F01) | Compensation for underrepresentation of developing country authors (F63) |