Productivity and selection effects in French economics departments

Using an original database of French academic economists, this paper empirically assesses selection effects and determinants of scientific production. We use the multilevel GMM approach that identifies both a method of testing for selection effects and for consistent estimation of the impact of departmental and individual characteristics if selection effects are important. The results indicate that individual characteristics are important but local factors also play a role. As regards the specific scope of this paper, the results provide evidence that selection effects are weak in French context.