A Regional Comparison of Publication Output of Academic Agricultural Economists

Abstract

Differences in academic research publication output in the North Central region relative to other regions of the country are explored. Results indicate that the average number of research publications per faculty member is significantly greater in the North Central region. Regional differences in individual faculty characteristics are also presented. A number of studies indicate that agricultural economists are interested in characteristics of faculty related to academic research performance and productivity. Opaluch and Just [41 investigated the institutional affiliation of academic agricultural economists contributingto major economic journals. Studies by Arnold and Barlow [1], Finley [21, and Holland and Redman [3] examined contributions made to the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.1 Although methods and objectives of these studies differ, all indicate that academic agricultural economics research productivity may be concentrated in the North Central region relative to other regions of the country. Among the top twelve agricultural economics departments contributing to the major economic journals considered by Opaluch and Just [41, six were in the North Central region. The remaining studies all found that six or seven of the top ten departments contributing to the American Journal of Agricultural Economics were in the North Central region. Finally, Redman 161 found that the regional ratio of authors in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics to members of the American Agricultural Economics Association was highest for the North Central region. These results all indicate possible higher research productivity for faculty in the North Central region. This article examines the research publication output of agricultural economics faculty in the North Central region and in other regions of the country. Output is measured in terms of selected categorial research contributions. Differences in faculty characteristics which may be related to research output are also examined. Results presented are based on data compiled from a recently completed general survey ot' agricultural economics teaching and research faculty. DESCRIPTION OF THE DATA Data for this study were gathered during the first quarter of 1980 as part of a general survey of 500 randomly selected academic agricultural economists at land grant universities.2 The questionnaire used in the study was pre-tested and designed to secure desired information without threatening respondent anonymity. Overall response to the survey was good; 311 questionnaires were returned, of which 273 were appropriate for consideration in the general sample.3 Of these usable responses, 195 held Ph.D. degrees and had research appointments of ten percent or more. These individuals formed the sample upon which the results of this paper are based. For the comparative analysis, individuals from institutions in the North Central region were separated from the rest of the sample. Regional definitions were based on a previous study of recent employment and mobility patterns of agricultural economists by Peck and Babb [5]. The universities of the North Central region in our analysis are: Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio State, Purdue, and Wisconsin. RESEARCH PERFORMANCE In this study, research output is measured by number of selected categorical contributions for total career. In Table 1, average research output of agricultural economics research faculty in the North Central region is contrasted with that in all other regions. Senior or junior authorship is counted equally, and all figures relating to research output are adjusted to reflect a 100 percent research appointment.4 The North Central region leads in all Rod F. Ziemer and Stan R. Spurlock are graduate assistants, and Josef M. Broder is an assistant professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. F1 ormerly the Journal of Farm Economics. 2 Individuals for the sample were selected from those listed in Professional Workers in State Agricultural Experiment Stations and Other Cooperating State Institutions/ 1978-1979 [71. A copy of the questionnaire used in the survey is available upon request. 3 Despite mailing precautions, some questionnaires were returned because recipients were retired, were deceased, had moved, or did not consider themselves to be agricultural economists. 4 Such an adjustment is not perfect, since publication output is associated with extension and, perhaps, teaching appointments, as well as a research appointment. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.78 on Mon, 20 Jun 2016 07:25:36 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 168 NORTH CENTRAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Vol. 2, No. 2, July 1980