Prestigious Departments Research Articles

The revolving door in UK government departments: A configurational analysis

AbstractThe “revolving door” between those at the top of public and private organizations has given rise to questions about the “pull” and “push” factors influencing public servants' switching into lucrative posts with companies they previously regulated. In this study, we investigate the departmental attributes associated with the movement of senior British civil servants into potentially controversial corporate jobs. To do so, we develop a configurational analysis of revolving door activity in UK government departments for 2015–2018 using panel‐based fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). We identify a series of alternative departmental conditions' based pathways for taking up, or not taking up, a role in the private sector. In particular, more prestigious departments with high levels of pay and low levels of agencification are associated with revolving door activity, while departments with low levels of pay, high levels of agencification, and low levels of capital procurement tend to be associated with an absence of such activity.

ЭКОНОМИКО-МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКАЯ МОДЕЛЬ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ПЛАТНЫМИ ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНЫМИ УСЛУГАМИ

The algorithm developed in this article, the economic-mathematical model and tools for managing paid educational services, which coordinate the growth of teachers’ salaries with the number of students in study groups, the number of study groups, the volume of classroom hours and deductions for the development of the University, allow significantly (two times on average) to increase the funds allocated for the remuneration of teaching staff at the prestigious departments of the University and thereby solve the problem with the shortage of highly qualified teachers; dramatically increase the interest of all departments of the University in the recruitment of paying students; by more than 50% increase the funds received for the development of the University.

One of the Boys? Gender Similarities and Differences in Human Capital among Senior Civil Servants in Denmark

Studies have shown how women are underrepresented in senior executive positions in public and private organizations. Equal representation matters both for reasons of performance and legitimacy, and, to understand the mechanisms behind the glass ceiling, we explore if the women making it to the top of the Danish civil service differ from the men who do so. We want to understand if senior executive positions require something different of women than men. Using a dataset consisting of the entire career trajectory of all senior civil servants in Denmark, we find that, on numerous human capital dimensions, the women and men making it to the top are quite similar, for example, in terms of tenure and educational level. However, we find on the one hand that men are more often employed in the most prestigious departments and, at the same time, it seems that men with a profile deviating from the norm are more likely to make it to the top than women. This may indicate that the most prestigious positions – also in terms of early‐career positions – are less accessible to women, and that women are less willing to apply for jobs outside their usual domain, or that those responsible for recruitment are less willing to take a chance on a woman with a slightly unorthodox profile. Hence, our study indicates that greater interest should be paid to the dynamics keeping women at lower levels of the hierarchy and possibly to encourage them to apply for top positions.

COLABORACIÓN HISPANO-ALEMANA EN BIOQUÍMICA MANTENIDA POR MIEMBROS DE LA REAL ACADEMIA NACIONAL DE FARMACIA Y POR OTROS BIOQUÍMICOS ESPAÑOLES

German can be considered as world pioneer in the development of Biochemistry. Its founder, Prof. Felix von Hoppe-Seyler, established contacts with the Spanish Professor of Organic Chemistry, Laureano Calderón Arana, since the onset of this subject around 1872. Later, some other Professors of the newly created Química Biológica, which was taught only at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Madrid as a subject common to doctoral students in Pharmacy, Medicine and Science, maintained a connection, albeit minor, with their German colleagues. From 1928, Dr. Severo Ochoa, who would subsequently win a Nobel Prize, worked for long periods in the prestigious Departments at Berlin and Heidelberg. More recently, other biochemists, members of the Royal Academy National of Pharmacy (RANF), have followed this connection with several German Departments. Furthermore, German biochemists have delivered lectures in Spanish Universities invited by their Spanish colleagues, in addition to their participation in Spanish symposia. Moreover, several German biochemists have been RANF members

The teaching situation of the department of English in the universities of Bangladesh: a critical evaluation

It has a long history of teaching English literature and language in this sub-continent. The European colonial rulers introduced this teaching with the motive of serving their own purpose, but paradoxically this teaching has benefited the people of this soil as well in many ways. From the very beginning, the English department of any college or university has been treated as one of the most prestigious departments that have produced the best citizens of this soil. But recently the teaching scenario of these departments in Bangladesh is being severely affected owing to different kinds of changes that have occurred in the social and academic arenas of the country. It is now the demand of the present time that the English departments of the universities of our country should take proper steps to address those problems properly and bring back its reputation. The present study attempts to find out the problems that are affecting the teaching and learning process of these departments and thereby damaging the glory and reputation of them, and also to provide some suggestions to cope with those problems.

Integration of Israeli Students of Ethiopian Origin in Israeli Universities

The current criterion for acceptance to universities in Israel is based on psychometric testing that presents a strong barrier for acceptance of students of Ethiopian origin (SEO) to the universities. Based on the sociocultural theories of Vygotsky and Feuerstein, we suggest an intervention aimed at integrating SEO, considered to be “culturally different,” in universities. The intervention includes a novel screening process (based on dynamic assessment [DA] and an interview), academic oriented metacognitive course, and supportive counseling. A group of SEO (n = 665) with low psychometric scores, applied for assistance in admission to university, in seven cohorts (2010-2016). A group of 174 (26%) candidates were selected for the project and enrolled for studies in university; 49.4% enrolled in prestigious departments (e.g., medicine). The findings showed that despite the significant lower psychometric scores of the SEO as compared with the national average, only 4.6% have withdrawn at the end of first year as compared with 10.8% of the national Jewish sample and 12.4% among SEO population. A higher percentage of SEO in the current sample enrolled in high prestige departments than SEO in the population. No significant differences were found between dropped-out and continuing students in the psychometric test. Prediction of three-years' grade point average (GPA) by psychometric scores were not significant (R2 = .03, p > .05) as compared to the prediction in SEO population (R2 = .10, p < .001). The findings support Vygotsky's and Feuerstein's approach that standardized tests of students with deprived cultural backgrounds do not reflect their learning potential and that the use short-term intervention may be an effective mechanism of preparing students for academic success.

The Teaching Situation of the Department of English in the Universities of Bangladesh: A Critical Evaluation

There is a long history of teaching English literature and language in this sub-continent. The European colonial rulers introduced this teaching with the motive of serving their own purpose, but paradoxically this teaching has benefited the people of this soil as well in many ways. From the very beginning, the English department of any college or university has been treated as one of the most prestigious departments that have produced the best citizens of this soil. But recently the teaching scenario of these departments in Bangladesh is being severely affected owing to different kinds of changes that have occurred in the social and academic arenas of the country. It is now the demand of the present time that the English departments of the universities of our country should take proper steps to address those problems properly and bring back its reputation. The present study attempts to find out the problems that are affecting the teaching and learning process of these departments and thereby damaging the glory and reputation of them, and also to provide some suggestions to cope with those problems.

Academic scientists’ affiliation with university research centers: Selection dynamics

University research centers have been institutionalized as a part of the science policy repertoire committed to strategic use of science and technology. Based on a representative sample of academic scientists and engineers in American research universities, this study investigates the selection dynamics, attempting to unfold the determinants of department-affiliated faculty members to be center affiliates. The findings suggest that university research centers select their affiliates on the basis of individual scientific and technical human capital. Scientists from prestigious departments are more likely to be center affiliates, so are prolific scientists, former postdoctoral scholars and the elder cohorts. In the meantime, university research centers are able to overcome the incentive incongruity with academic departments, as is evidenced by a higher likelihood among junior scientists to secure center connections. Dedicated to diversity and equity, university research centers provide a level playing field for women, minority and foreign-born scientists. The study concludes with a discussion of the scientific and technical human capital theory and policy implications in the science enterprise.

The Impacts of Postdoctoral Training on Scientists' Academic Employment

This article examines the dynamics of postdoctoral training affecting scientists' academic employment, focusing on timing and prestige dimensions. Postdoc training proves beneficial to academic employment—more so in less prestigious departments than in top ones. Postdoc duration is subject to diminishing returns. The benefits of training vary across scientists with different demographic characteristics.

The Impacts of Postdoctoral Training on Scientists’ Academic Employment

This article examines the dynamics of postdoctoral training affecting scientists’ academic employment, focusing on timing and prestige dimensions. Postdoc training proves beneficial to academic employment—more so in less prestigious departments than in top ones. Postdoc duration is subject to diminishing returns. The benefits of training vary across scientists with different demographic characteristics. This article examines the dynamics of postdoctoral training affecting scientists’ academic employment, focusing on timing and prestige dimensions. Postdoc training proves beneficial to academic employment—more so in less prestigious departments than in top ones. Postdoc duration is subject to diminishing returns. The benefits of training vary across scientists with different demographic characteristics.

Teaching economics: the experience at the University of Calcutta

Economics is one of the most prestigious departments of the 154 years old, University of Calcutta. Not only had the post-graduate department of the university but a number of its affiliated colleges boasted of legendary teachers and equally famous students over the years. However, for the last ten years or so, there is a decline in the number of students taking admission to the undergraduate honours course. In the era of globalisation and free-market economy, where the knowledge of economics is becoming more and more necessary, what can be the reason for such a decline? Searching for the answer was not very easy. A number of reasons were forwarded from different quarters and one of them was the syllabi, overloaded with mathematics. This paper takes a critical look into the reasons for the apathy of students to study the subject and the vision behind the complete makeover of the syllabi.

International Doctoral Science and Engineering Students

As more international doctoral students flow into science and engineering departments in American research universities, a marked shift on the demographic composition of doctoral student bodies has been witnessed. Using a dataset combining a survey of science and engineering department chairs with the latest department evaluation information, this study reveals that international students are overrepresented in least prestigious departments and underrepresented in top programs. Research findings suggest doctoral cohorts’ career prospects are stratified by the representation of international students, department prestige and academic fields. The doctoral cohorts with more international students are more likely to head for less research-oriented faculty appointments and less likely to take postdoctoral positions. The cohorts minted out of prestigious departments demonstrate a greater success in landing research-oriented faculty positions. Relative to the cohorts in life science, the cohorts in engineering and physical sciences are presented with different job opportunities. The study concludes with a discussion of research findings and policy implications.

Academic Faculty Affiliated with University Research Centers: Selection Dynamics

University research centers constitute a new part of the science policy repertoire committed to strategic use of science and technology and prove influential to individual career development. The existing literature casts much light on the challenges arising from managing centers and the potential benefits participants may receive, with little attention paid to the selection dynamics through which individuals gain affiliation with centers. The selection process not only shapes the extent to which centers fulfill their missions, but also structures the distribution of potential career benefits. Based on a representative sample of academic scientists and engineers in research extensive universities, this article investigates the dynamics of individual affiliation with centers. The findings suggest that university research centers represent a combination of cumulative advantage and equal treatment, reinforcing advantages on prolific scientists and those in prestigious departments and providing equal treatment for scientists with different demographic backgrounds. Instead of being career distractions, center affiliation proves more appealing to junior scientists than tenured peers. The study concludes with a discussion of the policy implications in the science enterprise.

International Doctoral Students in S&E Academic Departments: Their Impact on Cohort’s Career Prospects

With more international students flowing into science and engineering departments in American research universities, a marked shift on the demographic composition of doctoral student bodies has been witnessed. Using a dataset combining a survey of S&E department chairs with the latest program evaluation information, this study reveals the status of international doctoral students in S&E academic departments and investigates how their presence shapes the cohort’s career prospects. The results provide evidence of cohort’s career prospects stratified by international students, department prestige and academic fields. While cohort with more international students is less likely to take postdoc positions and more likely to head for less research oriented faculty appointments, such cohort, if trained in less prestigious departments, more often end up with postdoc appointments. Cohort minted out of prestigious departments demonstrates a stronger commitment to postdoc positions and lesser commitment to non-academic jobs, regardless of the presence of international students. Relative to cohorts in life science, their counterparts in engineering and physical science are presented with different job opportunities. The study concludes with a discussion of research findings and policy implications in the postdoc enterprise as well as in the science community.

Postdoctoral training, departmental prestige and scientists’ research productivity

An implicit assumption prevailing in the science community is that scientists with postdoctoral training demonstrate a higher rate of productivity than their peers without such experience (Foger et al. 1970; NRC 1974; 1976; Resin 1976), and especially so if postdocs are employed in research intensive settings ((McGinnis et al. 1982; Zemeta 1985). In contrast, by exploring the reward structure of the science system, sociologists contend that departments where scientists obtain positions play a substantial role in shaping their research productivity (Long 1978; Long and McGinnis 1981; Allison and Long 1990). This study investigates both theories in an attempt to unfold how these factors impact scientists’ research productivity over time.Using Curriculum Vitae (CV) from a nationally representative sample of academic scientists and engineers, the findings suggest that postdoc training indeed boosts individual research productivity during scientists’ early career periods; however, the effect fades quickly. While departmental prestige plays a role in scientists’ research productivity, further investigation indicates that only scientists placed in highly prestigious departments demonstrate a consistently higher productivity level than their peers in other departments. Given that postdoc training contributes significantly to the higher likelihood of being placed in highly prestigious departments, postdoctoral training and the subsequent placement in highly prestigious departments together are conducive to the accumulative advantage effect.

The Impacts of Postdoctoral Training on Scientists’ Academic Employment

This study investigates how postdoc training affects scientists’ academic employment. Based on questionnaire responses from a national representative sample of academic scientists and engineers and the respondents’ curriculum vitae, the results suggest that postdoc training increases scientists’ chances of obtaining a faculty position in highly prestigious departments. Among postdocs, a longer duration (roughly three years) reverses the delayed career development and accelerates their academic entrance. Foreign born postdocs, while showing no difference in the timing of academic entrance, are more likely to be placed into “prestigious” departments; however, Asian postdocs appear to be an exception.

How Much Better Are the Most-Prestigious Journals? The Statistics of Academic Publication

Articles in high-prestige journals receive more citations and more applause than articles in less-prestigious journals, but how much more do these articles contribute to knowledge? This article uses a statistical theory of review processes to draw inferences about differences value between articles in more-prestigious versus less-prestigious journals. This analysis indicates that there is much overlap in articles in different prestige strata. Indeed, theory implies that about half of the articles published are not among the best ones submitted to those journals, and some of the manuscripts that belong in the highest-value 20% have the misfortune to elicit rejections from as many as five journals. Some social science departments and business schools strongly emphasize publication in prestigious journals. Although one can draw inferences about an author’s average manuscript from the percentage in top-tier journals, the confidence limits for such inferences are wide. A focus on prestigious journals may benefit the most prestigious departments or schools but add randomness to the decisions of departments or schools that are not at the very top. Such a focus may also impede the development of knowledge when mediocre research receives the endorsement of high visibility.

What type of economist are you: r‐strategist or K‐strategist?

This paper proposes a simple model to classify economists according to their preferences towards quality and/or quantity of their publications. When more emphasis is placed on quantity they are defined as r‐strategists. When they put more effort in the quality of their papers targeting top journals, they are defined as K‐strategists. It is shown that prestigious departments tend to select K‐strategists. By analyzing which strategy maximizes the influence of an economist in the profession, the paper shows that neither r‐, nor K‐strategists are the winners. The paper conjectures that the economists more likely to be successful in the profession follow the Samuelson‐strategy, which is characterized by a balance between quality and quantity.

ORGANIZATIONAL VARIATIONS IN WOMEN SCIENTISTS' REPRESENTATION IN ACADEMIA

Using a nationally representative sample of college faculty from a wide array of institutions and science disciplines, this study investigates links between organizational conditions and women's representation on college faculties. Hypotheses derive from competing explanations for the sharp differences found in women's and men's career outcomes in academia: institutionalized discrimination that protects men's dominant group privileges, statistical discrimination based on expectations of gender differences in academic preparation and scholarship, variations in the female doctoral labor supply by science discipline and locality, political restraints on discrimination and pressure for equal employment opportunity. A multivariate analysis examines organizational conditions associated with women's likelihood of holding faculty appointments at different tenure levels. Results indicate that although the female doctoral labor supply and political constraints are powerful factors in the representation of women faculty, selective organizational contexts play a substantial role as well. Although we find little evidence that insulation from competition or segmented faculty labor markets strongly influence the gender composition of science faculties, women are more often found in entn-level positions where institutionalized discrimination may be checked by unionization and proportionally sizable constituencies of women administrators and students. Consistent with statistical discrimination, women scientists and engineers are poorly represented at the entry level in research-oriented institutions and are more scarce in tenured positions within highly prestigious departments and institutions with very selective admissions. These organizational influences on women's faculty representation hold even after controlling for gender differences in the prestige of academic credentials, level of work experience, and marital and child-rearing responsibilities.

Presentation of the 1997 A.N. Richards Award to Alexander Leaf

Alex Leaf has led a rich and deeply rewarding life. His activities have included a highly successful career as investigator in the fields of epithelial transport, renal electrolyte metabolism and preventive medicine. He has been an outstanding chairman of one of the most prestigious departments of medicine, been in the forefront of medical education, and has throughout his life been deeply concerned with humanitarian issues. Alex was born in Yokohama where his parents had emigrated from Russia, but received his primary and college education in Seattle where his family moved from Japan in the early 1920s. Both of his parents were dentists, and they provided an early environment of stimulation, encouragement and support for Alex and his older brother. Alex also has fond memories of the beautiful scenery of the Northwest, with boat trips and fishing, and lingering memories of early biological activities including oceanographic explorations at Friday Harbor. These were marred only by severe seasickness. It was also at Friday Harbor that Alex met Barbara, the daughter of a prominent professor of zoology at Washington University, to whom he was married in 1943. Alex graduated from the University of Washington with magna cum laude in chemistry and entered medical school at the University of Michigan in 1940. During his first year in medical school at Ann Arbor, he had the good fortune to befriend David Newburgh, the son of a distinguished professor of internal medicine. He came close to being adopted by the Newburgh family and through Professor Newburgh's strong influence Alex's career took an early turn towards internal medicine. His next career stations included an internship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, residency at the Mayo Foundation and Army service at El Paso, Texas, before returning for a two-year research fellowand instructorship in internal medicine in Michigan. There he joined Dr. Newburgh's laboratory, and that is where his scientific career began. In Alex's first work in Michigan, he explored the mechanisms of renal sodium and potassium handling by the human kidney, focusing on balance studies and on the impressive ability of the kidney to retain sodium during prolonged salt restriction. These studies already show the mark of his approach: asking an important question, thorough attention to analytical detail and prudent interpretation of the data. Such studies were continued after Alex moved to the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1949. He had received a National Research Council fellowship after successful competition and personal scrutiny by such notables of medicine and physiology as Baird Hastings, Robert Loeb and Homer Smith. At the Massachusetts General Hospital he joined the laboratory of the eminent endocrinologist Fuller Aibright, where he explored