Network
A common stereotype of researchers is that they work in isolation. This doesn't hold true in my case. In fact, most of my output is a result of teamwork: Not only my publications, but also activities like event management, fundraising, supervision etc.
To illustrate, here’s a typical sequence from initial concept to “production” of a paper: (1) Spot an interesting episode; (2) put together a team with complementary skills; (3) hire a competent research assistant; (4) collect a novel dataset; (5) apply a state-of-the-art analytical framework; and (6) see what happens...
The point is that several people are involved. It isn’t “work in isolation”. Indeed, the vast majority of my papers are co-written. And I believe economics is approaching the standards in natural science, medical science etc., where a number of co-authors below 10 is the exception rather than the rule…
By the way, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused big changes to how we work together, as much of it now takes place online via Teams or Zoom meetings.
To illustrate, here’s a typical sequence from initial concept to “production” of a paper: (1) Spot an interesting episode; (2) put together a team with complementary skills; (3) hire a competent research assistant; (4) collect a novel dataset; (5) apply a state-of-the-art analytical framework; and (6) see what happens...
The point is that several people are involved. It isn’t “work in isolation”. Indeed, the vast majority of my papers are co-written. And I believe economics is approaching the standards in natural science, medical science etc., where a number of co-authors below 10 is the exception rather than the rule…
By the way, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused big changes to how we work together, as much of it now takes place online via Teams or Zoom meetings.
