Submitted by kebloom on January 16, 2019 - 3:39pm
Title | A Field Experiment on Search Costs and the Formation of Scientific Collaborations. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2017 |
Authors | Boudreau KJ, Brady T, Ganguli I, Gaule P, Guinan E, Hollenberg A, Lakhani KR |
Journal | Rev Econ Stat |
Volume | 99 |
Issue | 4 |
Pagination | 565-576 |
Date Published | 2017 Oct |
ISSN | 0034-6535 |
Abstract | We present the results of a field experiment conducted at Harvard Medical School to understand the extent to which search costs affect matching among scientific collaborators. We generated exogenous variation in search costs for pairs of potential collaborators by randomly assigning individuals to 90-minute structured information-sharing sessions as part of a grant funding opportunity. We estimate that the treatment increases the probability of grant co-application of a given pair of researchers by 75%. The findings suggest that matching between scientists is subject to considerable frictions, even in the case of geographically-proximate scientists working in the same institutional context. |
DOI | 10.1162/rest_a_00676 |
Alternate Journal | Rev Econ Stat |
PubMed ID | 29375163 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC5786275 |
Grant List | UL1 RR025758 / RR / NCRR NIH HHS / United States UL1 TR000170 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States UL1 TR001102 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States |