Abstract

There has been almost no research into what makes an effective chairperson in a university department. This paper constructs a historical longitudinal dataset on economics departments in 58 US research universities. It documents evidence that a department’s research output tends to improve substantially when the incoming department Chair is himself or herself an outstanding scholar (in particular, is highly cited). The analysis adjusts for a set of other possible influences, including the standing of the department, university resources, the previous Chair, the trend in the department’s productivity, and time-lags. Possible interpretations, and implications for future research, are discussed.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Goodall, A. H., McDowell, J. M. & Singell, L. D. (2017). Do Economics Departments Improve After They Appoint a Top Scholar as Chairperson?. KyKlos, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.og/10.1111/kykl.12148. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
Publisher Keywords:	Citations, scientific productivity, department Chairs, expert leaders
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Departments:	Bayes Business School > Management

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