Working Paper: NBER ID: w20683
Authors: Julia Lane; Jason Owen-Smith; Rebecca Rosen; Bruce Weinberg
Abstract: Longitudinal micro-data derived from transaction level information about wage and vendor payments made by federal grants on multiple U.S. campuses are being developed in a partnership involving researchers, university administrators, representatives of federal agencies, and others. This paper describes the UMETRICS data initiative that has been implemented under the auspices of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. The resulting data set reflects an emerging conceptual framework for analyzing the process, products, and impact of research. It grows from and engages the work of a diverse and vibrant community. This paper situates the UMETRICS effort in the context of research evaluation and ongoing data infrastructure efforts in order to highlight its novel and valuable features. Refocusing data construction in this field around individuals, networks, and teams offers dramatic possibilities for data linkage, the evaluation of research investments, and the development of rigorous conceptual and empirical models. Two preliminary analyses of the scientific workforce and network approaches to characterizing scientific teams ground a discussion of future directions and a call for increased community engagement.
Keywords: Research investments; Scientific workforce; Productivity; Public value
JEL Codes: D85; J00; O3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Funding interventions (F35) | Interactions among scientists (O36) |
| Interactions among scientists (O36) | Collaborative networks (D85) |
| Collaborative networks (D85) | Discovery process (O36) |
| Collaborative networks (D85) | Training (M53) |
| Discovery process (O36) | Scientific impact (A14) |
| Training (M53) | Economic impact (F69) |
| Funding interventions (F35) | Collaborative networks (D85) |
| Funding interventions (F35) | Scientific impact (A14) |
| Funding interventions (F35) | Economic impact (F69) |