Working Paper: NBER ID: w18614
Authors: George J. Borjas; Kirk B. Doran
Abstract: Knowledge producers conducting research on a particular set of questions may respond to supply and demand shocks by shifting resources to a different set of questions. Cognitive mobility measures the transition from one location to another in idea space. We examine the cognitive mobility flows unleashed by the influx of Soviet mathematicians into the United States after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The data reveal that American mathematicians moved away from fields that received large numbers of Soviet émigrés. Diminishing returns in specific research areas, rather than beneficial human capital spillovers, dominated the cognitive mobility decisions of knowledge producers.
Keywords: Cognitive Mobility; Labor Market; Supply Shocks; Soviet Mathematicians
JEL Codes: J63
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Influx of Soviet mathematicians (B16) | Decline in scientific output of American mathematicians (A14) |
| Influx of Soviet mathematicians (B16) | Increase in cognitive movers (D91) |
| Influx of Soviet mathematicians (B16) | Extended preparation spells for subsequent papers (C41) |
| Cognitive movers (D91) | Longer time to produce next paper (C41) |
| Experience and tenure (M51) | Lower likelihood to switch fields (J62) |
| Adverse competitive effects (L49) | Net negative impact on cognitive mobility (J62) |