Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP8558
Authors: David J. McKenzie; Berk Zler
Abstract: There is a proliferation of economics blogs, with increasing numbers of economists attracting large numbers of readers, yet little is known about the impact of this new medium. Using a variety of experimental and non-experimental techniques, we try to quantify some of their effects. First, links from blogs cause a striking increase in the number of abstract views and downloads of economics papers. Second, blogging raises the profile of the blogger (and his institution) and boosts their reputation above economists with similar publication records. Finally, we find that a blog can transform attitudes about some of the topics it covers.
Keywords: blog; dissemination; impact; evaluation; influence
JEL Codes: A11; A23
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| links from blogs (Y60) | increase in the number of abstract views and downloads of economics papers (A14) |
| reading a blog (Y60) | transform attitudes about some topics (Z00) |
| reading a blog (Y60) | increase in awareness of findings (O36) |
| reading a blog (Y60) | short-run impacts on knowledge (D89) |
| blogging (Y60) | enhances the reputation of the blogger and their institution (A14) |