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Using the EconLit dissertation database and large-scale algorithmic methods that identify author demographics from names, we investigate the connection between the gender of economics dissertators and dissertation topics. Despite stagnation in the share of women among economics PhDs in recent years, there has been a remarkable rise in gender-related dissertations in economics over time and in many subfields. Women economists are significantly more likely to write gender-related dissertations and bring gender-related topics into a wide range of fields within economics. Men in economics have also substantially increased their interest in gender-related topics.
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Demographic Diversity and Economic Research: Fields of Specialization and Research on Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality
Using dissertation research topics found in the EconLit database and large-scale algorithmic methods that identify author demographics based on names, we explore the link between race and ethnicity and fields of economic research. We find that underrepresented racial and ethnic minority (URM) researchers are more likely to write dissertations in some unexpected subfields of economics but limited evidence that they are more likely to write dissertations on racial topics once we include basic controls. These descriptive results may be due to limitations in the data, intrinsic motivations, or external constraints.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2121120
- PAR ID:
- 10560517
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Economic Association
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- AEA Papers and Proceedings
- Volume:
- 114
- ISSN:
- 2574-0768
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 528 to 534
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1257/pandp.20241129
