Non-academic Work Research Articles

Southern Exceptionalism and the Perils of Region

Contemporary political trends associated with the rise of Donald Trump seem to confound traditional regional designations in the United States. Yet the concept of region remains salient in popular discourse. This is especially true with respect to “the South,” which appears in several recent nonacademic works as the source of troubling social and political currents. More surprising, given decades of critique of “Southern exceptionalism,” has been the reappearance of the South as a focus of analysis in the scholarly literature on immigration. This scholarly literature works to deessentialize the South by highlighting the vagaries and instabilities of Southern identities, institutions, and landscapes. It can, however, subtly and inadvertently reinforce Southern exceptionalism by identifying the South as a place marked by uniquely fraught histories of racial exclusion. This article critically assesses how the South as a regional concept has located the problem of race in the United States in a specific time and place. This leads to a broader discussion of the persistence of regional imaginaries in the discipline of geography and the need for more deliberate consideration of the geographical concepts that guide our analyses of societal change.

Academic Gerrymandering? Expansion and Expressions of Academic Work

As academic institutions creatively respond to exogenous forces requiring fundamental re-imagining of academic work, boundaries are being redrawn between traditional academic/professorial work and academic administration, resulting in blended job roles that constitute an incipient threat to academic values such as freedom and autonomy. After contrasting the nature of academic and nonacademic work, I draw on institutional theory to offer a model examining conditions under which blended academic and administrative roles engender four outcomes: positional dexterity, accommodating citizen, grab bag, and academic gerrymandering. I warn against institutional conditions that foster academic gerrymandering, or the “redistricting” of academic work for managerial benefit. I end the article with examples of other professions where administrative and “core” professional work have not been blended intentionally or well, and I suggest topics for future research.

Development of Enriched Core Competencies for Health Services and Policy Research.

ObjectiveTo develop an enriched set of core competencies for health services and policy research (HSPR) doctoral training that will help graduates maximize their impact across a range of academic and nonacademic work environments and roles.Data Sources/Study SettingData were obtained from multiple sources, including literature reviews, key informant interviews, stakeholder consultations, and Expert Working Group (EWG) meetings between January 2015 and March 2016. The study setting is Canada.Study DesignThe study used qualitative methods and an iterative development process with significant stakeholder engagement throughout.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsThe literature reviews, key informant interviews, existing data on graduate career trajectories, and EWG deliberations informed the identification of career profiles for HSPR graduates and the competencies required to succeed in these roles. Stakeholder consultations were held to vet, refine, and validate the competencies.Principal FindingsThe EWG reached consensus on six sectors and eight primary roles in which HSPR doctoral graduates can bring value to employers and the health system. Additionally, 10 core competencies were identified that should be included or further emphasized in the training of HSPR doctoral students to increase their preparedness and potential for impact in a variety of roles within and outside of traditional academic workplaces.ConclusionThe results offer an expanded view of potential career paths for HSPR doctoral graduates and provide recommendations for an expanded set of core competencies that will better equip graduates to maximize their impact on the health system.

Exploring preferences for impact versus publications among UK business and management academics

Academics are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the impact of their research with external actors. Some national research assessment systems have mandated academics to document their impact on non-academic actors, and linked research funding to assessments of these impacts. Although there has been considerable debate around the design of these systems, little is known about how academics perceive the value of impact against more conventional academic outputs, such as publications. Using multisource data, including a large-scale survey of UK business and management academics, this paper explores the individual and institutional factors that explain an individual’s preference for impact versus publication. The results show that academics display a preference for impact over publications, even when that impact is not associated with requirements of the assessment system in terms of rigour of the underpinning research. The preference for impact over publications is heightened by organization tenure, non-academic work experience, intrinsic career motivations and research-intensive contexts, while it is weakened by academic influence, extrinsic career motives and academic rank. We explore the implications of these findings for the design of research assessment systems and academics’ reactions to them.

The effects of non-academic work experience on external interaction and research performance

We ask whether academic employees with non-academic work experience differ from their colleagues with respect to interaction with external stakeholders and research performance. We use a science and technical human capital perspective and address the question through an analysis of 4400 survey responses from academic employees in Norwegian universities and colleges. Non-academic work experience is common in all academic fields; it characterises more than half of the tenured academic staff members in Norway. Our analysis indicates that, in general, external interaction is positively influenced by non-academic work experience, in line with prior research. Contrary to expectations, we find few signs of a trade-off or a “punishment” effect of non-academic work experience on scientific productivity. Non-academic work experience is neither significantly related to publication productivity nor share of publications in highly ranked journals, but there are important differences based on the type of previous work experience.

Gagaku in Place and Practice: A Philosophical Inquiry into the Place of Japanese Imperial Court Music in Contemporary Culture

Gagaku is the oldest form of traditional Japanese music; however, it is commonly depicted both in academic and nonacademic works as remote and removed from everyday life and people. Nevertheless, musicians throughout Japan, in the United States, and in Germany are playing gagaku. This situation raises two questions: How exactly does the misconception of gagaku arise? How can we discuss gagaku in a way that more accurately reflects its “worldly” position? In this article I address these two questions by using the concept of place to answer the first question and the concept of practice to answer the second.

Towards an Understanding of Spirituality in the Context of Nonverbal Autism: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACTPeople with nonverbal autism are an underresearched group. Spirituality is fundamental to all humanness; therefore, the spirituality of these people is worthy of exploration. A scoping literature review involving comprehensive searches of empirical literature was conducted in three phases, with main themes identified. Gaps in academic literature prompted a further two search phases focused on nonacademic works. Little empirical research exists concerning the spirituality of people with nonverbal autism. Nonacademic literature provides a valuable source of information on this topic. This research forms part of a continuing study, so it is limited to identifying research gaps and future research directions.

Exploring Careers Outside Academia at OSM 2016

For some of us, graduate school was (or is, or will be) a portal to the world of academia—a necessary first step in a clear progression from student, to postdoc, to professor. Graduate school trains us to be researchers and exposes us to academic role models, but sometimes it leaves students who are thinking of pursuing a nonacademic career feeling like they lack guidance. ASLO's “Exploring Careers Outside Academia” career panel at OSM 2016 sought to address this issue with a panel discussion for the graduate student or postdoc considering all his or her options. Panelists were from backgrounds ranging from science writing and policy to government and nonprofits, and their breadth of experience gave attendees plenty of food for thought. One of the biggest take-home messages from the panel was that there is no “standard” path for transitioning from academia to another career. While graduate school gives you many skills, such as project management, leadership, and writing experience, it's up to you to figure out how to leverage those skills outside academia. Panelists also pointed out that research experience needs to be supplemented by activities outside of the lab. Interested in becoming a science writer? Start a blog or apply for the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship. Want to become a teacher? Seek out teaching assistantship positions or volunteer in a public school. Is working to shape science policy your dream? There are fellowships and internships, such as ASLO's Science Communication Internship or the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship, that give you firsthand policy experience. Identify some exciting career paths and then work to gain the skills that will make you competitive job applicant. Panelists also told attendees that research isn't incompatible with work outside academia. While some panelists quit the lab bench the moment they submitted their thesis or dissertation, others found ways to continue doing research as a part of their non-academic careers. It's a process, although; some panelists said frankly that they were still trying to find the balance between research and non-academic work that felt right for them. The value of a Ph.D. vs. an M.S. was also a big question for many attendees, and on this topic panelists held conflicting opinions. While some felt that a Ph.D. makes you more qualified for non-academic jobs, others stated that they knew people with Master's degrees in the same positions as them and felt that a Ph.D. could actually make your overqualified for some entry-level positions. The consensus was that non-academic jobs aren't “one size fits all” but that it is important to scope out careers that interest you. Investigate; is a Ph.D. is a “ticket to entry” for your field, or an M.S. acceptable or even preferred? A common theme between all the panelists was that they had enjoyed their time in academia, but left because other interests or lifestyles felt more compelling to them. Choosing to leave academia isn't an indication of failure, but rather an acknowledgment that the life of an academic isn't the best fit. The important thing is to find the right balance between research and other work—whether outreach, policy, consulting, or anything else you can think of—that feels right for you. Kelsey Ellis, 2015 ASLO Science Communications Intern, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; kels.a.ellis@gmail.com.

Post-PhD non-academic careers: intentions during and after degree

Purpose Although more than half of the PhD graduates do not take up traditional academic positions, the little we know of how they navigate into the non-academic workforce is somewhat conflicting. This study aims to contribute to our knowledge by examining over time the experiences of post-PhD social scientists who went into non-academic careers. It examines how post-PhD social scientists in non-academic careers characterize their experience of the PhD; how they imagine their post-PhD careers during the degree and how this influenced their doctoral activity; and to what extent their intentions changed over time and how agentive they were in managing challenges or disappointments. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a longitudinal qualitative narrative approach to examine the experience of eight post-PhD social scientists beginning during their degrees through their initial years after graduation outside academia. Findings The analysis highlights variation in clarity of career vision, strategic career thinking and action, knowledge of career opportunity structures and changes in career intentions over time. Still, for all individuals, the PhD was considered a powerful learning experience which continued to influence their lives. Practical implications Overall, the results make clear that post-PhD trajectories are best built from the beginning of the PhD, a conclusion that has curriculum implications. Originality/value This study incorporates the career question into the development of junior researchers highlighting the need to attend not only to objective measures of career success but also subjective intentions, investments, choices and assessments. Further, the constructs developed within an academic work context to understand career trajectories proved robust in analyzing non-academic work experience.

Internet Addiction and Estimation Procedure, Among Computer and Medical Professional Students: A Cross Sectional Study Odisha, India

This paper is about the Estimation of internet addiction of MCA Students & Medical Students of Hi-tech medical college & hospital at Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It has transformed academic landscape Research over the last decade has identified Internet addiction as a new and often unrecognized clinical disorder that impact a user’s ability to control online use to the extent that it can cause relational, occupational, and social problems. A total of 100 study participants were selected. Probability sampling technique of cluster sample of two cluster &a cross-sectional study of the students of Master in computer Application 50 Students & Hi-tech medical college & hospital 50 students were scored using a questionnaire to determine the number of hours they spend on the use of internet and also the purpose for which they use internet & its risk factors, estimation of future trends. From the result most of them are internet addicted 69.61% are mild addiction but most of MCA students are severe (75 out of 100 scores) addicted but most of Medical Students are mild addicted (63 out of 100 scores). Higher the score range the greater the level of internet addiction, risk factors are higher. Further it was observe through the advance statistical analysis pair t test for impact of internet addiction & Estimation procedure apply by linear Regression analysis for predict the future internet addiction show that a significant among MCA & Medical Students for internet addiction & are having high risk factors for health, family, friends, psychological, angry etc. have positive impact. The study showed that more than 70% of students are mild addiction out of which MCA students are severe risk than the medical students. For 47% of the students reason for surfing is nonacademic work i.e. personal out of which 9% are others like Porn & Online Purchasing, Online movies, etc. Thus it is essential to orient the students on using internet for their studies for better career and life.

Work experience in relation to study pace and thesis grade: investigating the mediating role of student learning

University students often work during their studies, and working is considered to be one reason for high dropout rates or slow progress in studies. Moreover, the nature of students’ work experience varies greatly. The study aimed to explore how working while studying is related to study success, and took approaches to learning and the nature of the work experience into account. A total of 1023 students completed a questionnaire at the time of their graduation. The results showed that doing other academic work was related to a deep approach to learning, and non-academic work was related to a surface approach and unorganised studying. Moreover, the results revealed that organised studying has an important role in terms of study pace. The study suggests that by emphasising students’ organising skills and supporting their deep-level learning, students have better possibilities to create links between work experience and studies.

The Coming of Age of Anthropological Practice and Ethics

Anthropology as a discipline is well over 100 years old; as a profession it is just gearing up. It is the diversity of anthropological work, not simply by subfield and geographic location, but by job function that has contributed to the field’s expansion. This growth has led to ethical questions and issues surrounding anthropological identity, adaptation, and collegiality, as increasing numbers of anthropologists are finding alternatives to the work of the professor. While the “split” or “divide” between academic and nonacademic work now seems narrower, much more needs to be done to acknowledge that practitioners are a growing and contributing segment of the field. As the career paths of anthropologists continue to differentiate, efforts will be necessary to unify anthropology so that the work of practitioners is considered on par with academics. This article takes on that challenge and proposes solutions to help practice and academia work together to advance the field.

Making it Work: Piloting Co-operative Education for English PhD Students at UBC

IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, institutions and governments have increasingly sought to provide wider employment contexts for humanities PhDs, given the shrinkage in tenure-track hirings. (1) The United Kingdom has created its NewRoute PhD program, (2) and Stanford (3) has added work-study and non-academic training to its PhD. (4) Print media (5) have reported on efforts like the Praxis Network (6) to broaden PhD employment options. SSHRC has a new report on this issue, (7) and two national conferences (including Congress) are addressing the subject this year (2013). Like many major universities, our own institution has sponsored workshops and seminars on the subject. The impetus, the resources, and the need thus all coinciding, the Graduate Committee in the English Department and the Arts Co-op Office have obtained the support of the Dean of Arts and the provost's office to pilot the first English PhD co-op program at UBC beginning in autumn 2013. While UBC currently offers a co-op option to some of its masters-level students in arts, and while a few other Canadian universities (including the University of Victoria and Waterloo) offer PhD co-op programs, UBC has never explored this option. We hope that our experience in initiating this program in the current economic and educational climate will be useful for others considering options for their PhD students. There are several steps we took and stakeholders we consulted in considering a multiple-career-path PhD. First, we investigated existing options, including co-op programs, career services' offerings, and existing internship programs (like mitacs). Our research led us to co-op (versus internships or generic career training) because co-op programs offer several strategic advantages over other options. First, students receive structured and supported paid work experience that bridges the gap between scholarly training and non-academic work: co-op makes practical the theory of career options. Second, taking on multiple short-term work experiences encourages reflection, diversification, and growth: varied work-skills may make students even stronger candidates for both academic and non-academic positions. Third, there are financial implications beyond the obvious alleviation of students' economic distress: we hope this option will help us in recruiting PhD applicants, and the program should lead to development opportunities as our students move into the workforce. Fourth, co-op programs include tailored training, support, and feedback for students in the program. Finally, co-op programs at UBC are well-established, tested, and internationally accredited, with staff and extensive networks. Our academic program would not have the time or knowledge to make this happen without the resources of the existing Arts Co-op office. Before approaching UBC's higher administration, we assessed the commitment of faculty, employers, and students. With the Arts Co-op office's expert help, we surveyed current English graduate students and led focus groups with employers and students to collect documentable data on student need and employer demand. Developing preliminary budgets and a pilot proposal for the department, the dean's office, and graduate studies was the next critical step. In developing the proposal, we needed to resolve specific technical issues about how and when students could defer their internal or sshrc funding packages while on work terms; whether their formal degree timeline could be extended for another year to cover their work-terms; when they could best start co-op; how Arts Co-op would receive its funding; and what funds we would need to develop the program. Our needs were ultimately quite modest: less than eleven thousand dollars from the offices of the dean and provost, with a small amount of ongoing funding from the department. In bringing administrators (enthusiastically!) on board, this planning and research was critical: needs assessments, feasibility studies, and administrative planning (including detailed budgets). …

The Impact of Direct Democracy on Governance: A Replication and Extension

DOI 10.1515/cjpp-2012-0021 Calif. J. Politics Policy 2013; 5(1): 30–46 Ly T. Lac and Edward L. Lascher Jr.* The Impact of Direct Democracy on Governance: A Replication and Extension Abstract: Does the state ballot initiative process affect American states’ ability to meet widely accepted standards of “good governance?” This question is rel- evant in many places, but especially in California which makes the heaviest use of the popular initiative. While much recent non-academic work suggests the process has ill effects in the Golden State and elsewhere, there has been little systematic scholarly investigation of this topic; the notable exception is R.J. Dalton’s work in 2008. Building on, updating, and extending his study, we examine whether the presence and extent of ballot initiative use affects Govern- ment Performance Project grades. Controlling for many other variables, we find a generally negative relationship between initiative use and such grades. This has worrisome implications for governance. Keywords: direct democracy; initiative process; government performance; quan- titative analysis. *Corresponding author: Edward L. Lascher Jr., Department of Public Policy and Administra­tion, California State University, Sacramento, CA, USA, E-mail: tedl@csus.edu Ly T. Lac: Department of Housing and Community Development, State of California, Sacramento, CA, USA 1 T he Impact of Direct Democracy on Governance: A Replication and Extension In their recent book advocating a drastic restructuring of California government, Joe Mathews and Mark Paul (2010, pp. 170–171) attribute much of the blame for the state’s woes to the initiative process. They claim that ballot measures have hamstrung the legislative process, led to an inflexible taxing and spending system, and reduced accountability. They write: “California has the most powerful – and thus the most inflexible – initiative process in the world. The legislature has no constitutional power to stop an initiative from reaching the ballot. Nor does the governor or any member of the executive branch… Such an inflexible system has many problems. Budget priorities can be locked in easily, and they persist even when revenues

Da letargia ao realento: notas sobre o ensino de graduação em administração pública no Brasil no entremeio da crise do Estado e da redemocratização no país (1983-94)

Considerando o entremeio da crise do Estado e da redemocratização no Brasil, este artigo volta-se para uma descrição e análise dos fatos e circunstâncias que marcaram o ensino de graduação em administração pública no Brasil no período 1983-94, considerado pelos autores como um dos ciclos (ou estágios de construção) desta formação acadêmica. Metodologicamente, o artigo faz a revisão bibliográfica daquelas obras que abordam direta e indiretamente o tema, incluindo a revisita de suas fontes; analisa as leis e pareceres existentes sobre o ensino de graduação em administração pública nesse intervalo de tempo, bem como utiliza-se de algumas entrevistas semiestruturadas com acadêmicos que vivenciaram tal período. No que se refere aos resultados, observa-se que o período 1983-94, diferentemente do 1ºciclo (1952-65) e do 2ºciclo (1966-82), quando a formação acadêmica em administração pública tinha uma identidade - aderente à concepção (e ao projeto) de Estado e aos contornos (e à produção) do campo do saber da administração pública -, tendo na Ebap/FGV um case modelar, foi um estágio de construção problemático, refletindo a crise do Estado dos anos 1980 e, igualmente, a crise (ou descontinuidade) paradigmática do campo do saber em administração pública no Brasil em tal época.

Predictors of Vocational Prognosis After Herniated Lumbar Disc

A register study with 2 years of follow up. To identify predictors of an unfavorable vocational prognosis after hospital contact for herniated lumbar disc (HLD). There is sparse information about vocational prognosis among HLD patients diagnosed at hospital. We followed all in- and outpatients diagnosed with HLD at a Danish University Hospital 2001 to 2005 eligible for the labor market in the Danish National Register on Public Transfer Payments (n = 2039). Clinical data were obtained from the Danish National Patient Register. The outcome measure was unfavorable vocational prognosis defined as less than 40 weeks of employment within the second year after hospital contact. Cox proportional hazards models were used. Altogether 41.8% had an unfavorable vocational prognosis. The outcome was associated with unskilled work Hazard Ratio (HR) 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5-2.8), skilled work HR 1.9 (CI = 1.3-2.7), and semi academic work HR 1.5 (CI = 1.1-2.0) as compared with academic work and less than 40 weeks of employment within year two before hospital contact HR 2.1 (CI = 1.9-2.5). Further negative prognostic factors were lumbar fusion alone HR 1.4 (CI = 1.1-1.8) and in combination with discectomy HR 1.6 (CI = 1.2-2.2) as compared with nonsurgical treatment, ethnicity other than Danish HR 1.55 (CI = 1.2-1.8), and female gender HR 1.2 (CI = 1.1-1.4). Discectomy, age, and year of inclusion were not associated with the outcome. The risk of an unfavorable vocational prognosis after hospital contact for HLD was substantial. Nonacademic work and less than 40 weeks of employment within year two before hospital contact were the strongest prognostic factors, but also lumbar fusion alone and in combination with discectomy, ethnicity, and gender had a negative influence. There seems to be a need for actions addressing these patient categories to avoid long-term sick leave and premature withdrawal from the labor market.

Skills and training needs for use of electronic information resources (EIRs) among students in four Tanzanian Universities

This article is based on a broader study that investigated the status and practice of Information Literacy (IL) for teaching and learning in four Tanzanian universities; namely Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), University of Dar-Es-Salaam (UDSM), Iringa University College (IUCO) and Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT). The primary intention of the study was to establish the best ways of introducing and improving IL programmes in these institutions. The article reports on the findings regarding students’ knowledge, skill and training needs in using Electronic Information Resources (EIRs). Data was collected using a questionnaire-based survey administered to 1123 undergraduate students. Probability sampling was used to sample students across the four universities, faculties and years of study. The response rate was 59.1%. The study findings revealed that although students in Tanzanian universities have access to and use various EIRs both for academic and non-academic work they still lack adequate knowledge and skills in some aspects, including searching and evaluation. The article therefore recommends the development of ICT infrastructures, that librarians and teaching staff become role models and mentors to students in using EIRs, and that teaching staff adopt an active learning and student-centred approach in their teaching as well as strengthening IL programmes as intervention measures for improving students’ skills in using EIRs.

Convergence

Convergence

Mama PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life (review)

Reviewed by: Mama PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life Alyson Bardsley (bio) Evans, Elrina, and Caroline Grant, eds. Mama PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life. New Brunswick. N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2008. 288 pp. Feminists know there is no work/life balance in the United States: this country's care for children and those in charge of them is famously pitiful. Weighing in on one aspect of this topic is Rutgers University Press's new Mama PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life, edited by Elrena Evans and Caroline Grant. Why, we might ask, is academia as a location for working mothers worth heightened scrutiny? What made a university press want to bring out this book when these topics generally belong to journalists and other purveyors of creative non-fiction and to presses like HarperCollins in the mainstream or Seal in the independent/feminist sector? And why, given the amazing number of mother blogs crowding the Internet, should we buy it? Because, it turns out, this is no mere collection of mothering and/or teaching anecdotes (as horribly addictive as such things can be for some of us), but rather a unique and potent mixture of memoir, analysis, and advocacy. And while motherhood throws many women's identities into chaos as it put their bodies in turmoil, the effect on women accustomed to living primarily in their heads can be especially acute. In one final way, too, it seems, academics actually are special: the writers included here—artists, critics, scientists, engineers, social scientists—are highly trained intellectuals, who combine first-person experience with perspectives and nuances colored by their disciplinary expertise. (Full disclosure: I went to graduate school with one of the contributors.) Most people inside of or adjacent to the academy know that, despite its depiction by the right-wing press as a bastion of left-wingers, there's nothing especially exalted or liberatory about universities as workplaces. Whatever the "liberal" content purveyed, it coexists with grossly exploited adjunct and clerical labor, homophobia, a half-concealed maze of obstructions to advancement for people of color, and last but not least, deep, deep ambivalence about women in the professoriate: grudging admission of them into the sciences and social sciences, fear of their supposedly imminent dominance in some parts of the humanities. So Mama PhD starkly delivers the sadly unsurprising news that academia doesn't make room for moms and is all too able to shame, intimidate, or simply stonewall many graduate students and professors into tying themselves into knots trying to accommodate the enormous, but also enormously different, physical, social, and psychological demands of motherhood and either completing an advanced degree or acquiring tenure. Some of the experiences here are sad, some funny, some simply shocking; the responses to pregnant bodies and small children these women encounter range from horror, to indifference, to sentimental ignorance, to, albeit rarely, sympathetic [End Page 83] camaraderie. In this volume are stories of those who succeeded in having it all, those who made assorted compromises, those who made savvy demands (more than one young prof. bargained to turn five or six weeks of personal leave into a one-course reduction for the semester after giving birth, for example), and those who were ground down by the amazing rigidity of chairs and deans (many of them also women), ultimately leaving the tenure track for adjunct or non-academic work. The personal essays also include incisive and specific suggestions about how workplaces in general and academia in particular must change to accommodate motherhood among their members, and they outline the benefits that would ensue, including not wasting the training and potential contributions of the mothers driven out or slowed to a snail's pace by current practices. A more inclusive atmosphere could also potentially change the social and intellectual milieu of academia in deep ways as professor-parents "reattach their heads to their bodies," as Elizabeth Rose Gruner puts it in her essay "I am Not a Head on a Stick." Although the contributors are disciplinarily and geographically diverse and vary in the kind of academic institution to which they are or were attached, queer voices seem absent, voices of...

A Response Paper to Prof. Shavell’s: 'Should Copyright of Academic Works Be Abolished?'

Undoubtedly, the idea of strong property rights is the underlying idea of economics and one of the main sources of economic incentive. In his paper, Prof. Shavell (see Shavell, 2009) seems to question and eventually im- pugn the idea of the economic efficiency of property rights in the market place of ideas in the academic world. In this regard, I will criticize his paper with the economic methods and will explain how Prof. Shavell's idea of the abolishing copyrights for the academic works might suffer from inconsistencies and also lacks the merits in generating a more economically efficient atmosphere for the academic works. In this paper, first I will discuss the most critical role of Copyright Law which in my view is the striking an optimal balance between two contrasting ideas, namely, fostering individuals' incentives for creativity on the one hand, and on the other hand, spread and dissemination of knowledge. I will then turn to the publication fee problem in an academic copyright free world and show how it may adversely affect the motivation of individuals in the market even if borne by the universities or third parties. The third problem with the abolition of copyright may arise from the distinction between academic and non-academic works and also textbooks and non textbooks and its consequences which may cause free riding problem. From an international standpoint, the abolition of copyright for academic works may have some unwanted consequences such as free riding and hold out problem and may produce forum-shopping like phenomenon, i.e., migration of the academic papers from copyright free countries to countries having its protection, it might also raise serious concerns about the copyright of academic derivatives. Abolishing copyright may raise questions of fairness too, because the level of the efforts done by the authors and the positive externalities that they may not be able to recoup may punish and discourage positive externality producing sector of the society instead of encouraging them. At the end, given the voluntary nature of the intellectual property rights, I will propose that the choice here is not between maintaining the copyright for academic works or abolishing it, but the problem lies in striking a proper balance between individuals' incentive and public interest which might be 31