Does the aging of tenured academic staff affect the research performance of universities?

Abstract

This paper examines the common contentions that the collective aging of tenured academic staff has negative effects on research performance of universities due to (a) negative effects of aging in itself, and (b) to a lack of newcomers who could revitalise the research. Data on academic staff and research at Norwegian universities over two decades have been used to examine these contentions. While older staff published less than their younger colleagues two decades ago, no differences in productivity are found today. Furthermore, during this period, a large increase in the number of post-doctoral fellows and PhD students has taken place, compensating for the aging of tenured staff.