Search Results
Working Paper
Gender ratios at top PhD programs in economics
Analyzing university faculty and graduate student data for the top-ten U.S. economics departments between 1987 and 2007, we find that there are persistent differences in gender composition for both faculty and graduate students across institutions and that the share of female faculty and the share of women in the entering PhD class are positively correlated. We find, using instrumental variables analysis, robust evidence that this correlation is driven by the causal effect of the female faculty share on the gender composition of the entering PhD class. This result provides an explanation for ...
Journal Article
The role of colleges and universities in building local human capital
Colleges and universities can contribute to the economic success of a region by deepening the skills and knowledge?or human capital?of its residents. Producing graduates who join the region?s educated workforce is one way these institutions increase human capital levels. In addition, the knowledge and technologies created through research activities at area universities may not only attract new firms to a region but also help existing businesses expand and innovate. These ?spillover effects? can in turn raise the region?s demand for high-skilled workers.
Journal Article
Change is good, if you know how
Working Paper
Divest, Disregard, or Double Down?
How much, if at all, should an endowment invest in a firm whose activities run counter to the charitable missions the endowment funds? Endowments typically disregard the objectionable nature of or divest from such firms. However, if firm returns increase with activities the endowment combats, doubling down on the investment increases expected utility by aligning funding availability with need. I call this "mission hedging." This paper offers the first model that characterizes the endowment's investment decision on the objectionable firm, defines investment trade-offs, and examines related ...
Journal Article
The role of funders in university-community partnerships
Kathleen Gill of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston outlines the role played by grant-making institutions in fueling the emerging field of university-community partnerships.
Journal Article
University tech transfer: Have I got a business idea for you
District universities strive to license technology to industry, but their efforts may not yield the desired results.
Conference Paper
Academic entrepreneurs: social learning and participation in university technology transfer
Maryann Feldman?s research asked what determines whether individual faculty members at universities actively engage in the commercialization of their research. She shows that peer effects and prior training matter. A faculty member is more likely to engage in commercialization if his or her colleagues do so and if they were trained at institutions with strong commercialization programs.
Conference Paper
The influence of university research on industrial innovation
Gerald Marschke examined university and industrial patents and found evidence of two trends that suggest a growing link between university research and industrial innovation. First, the flow of university researchers to private sector firms is growing. Second, industrial innovators are using more university-created knowledge in their products.
Journal Article
Opinions and poster boys
Two-year colleges are enjoying renewed appeal and attention.
Conference Paper
Universities, innovation and economic growth ; proceedings of a conference sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, November 16–17, 2006
This conference convened academics, angel networks, business leaders, civic and community officials, county and state economic development leaders, law firm representatives, legislators, public policy officials, researchers, and venture financing bankers to examine how universities, innovation, and the economy are not separate entities, but engaged participants working toward a common goal ? stimulating economic growth. Experts from across the country tackled tough questions: How do universities contribute to local innovation and economic growth processes? What are the real-world applications ...