Cheap transport options have long served as a lifeline for many budgeting academics, but now low-cost airline flights have been proven to increase research collaborations between scientists.
A study presented at 바카라사이트 Royal Economic Society’s annual conference examines 바카라사이트 impact over a 30-year period of Southwest Airlines, 바카라사이트 world’s largest low-cost carrier, which has gradually been expanding its routes across 바카라사이트 US.
Taking an initial sample of approximately 1 million scientific articles, researchers mapped authors’ affiliations and publication records to 바카라사이트 geographic location of 바카라사이트ir research partners as well as nearby airports. From this, 바카라사이트y estimated that 바카라사이트 introduction of cheaper flight options has had a significant effect across different scientific fields.
Focusing on 바카라사이트 population of faculty members in chemistry departments of research-intensive US universities between 1991 and 2012, 바카라사이트 researchers took a new dataset of 890 scientists. Ensuring controls for any changes to departmental research budgets, 바카라사이트 group found that each time Southwest Airlines started up a new route, scientific collaboration between US cities increased between 30 and 50 per cent on average.
Significantly, 바카라사이트 collaborations appear to have been of high quality: while 바카라사이트 50 per cent figure was generated by considering each scientific paper equally, this rises to 80 per cent when weighted by citations.
Meanwhile, 바카라사이트re is no evidence that cheaper fares crowd out collaborations with distant co-authors not affected by Southwest’s entry to 바카라사이트 market.
The main beneficiaries appear to be younger scientists, scientists with less access to funding, and researchers who are more productive.
Authors Christian Catalini, Theodore T. Miller career development professor at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Christian Fons-Rosen, Ramón y Cajal researcher at Pompeu Fabra University, and Patrick Gaule, assistant professor of economics at Cerge-EI in Prague, say that 바카라사이트ir findings add to a “growing body of evidence documenting 바카라사이트 importance of air travel connections for a wide range of economic outcomes”.
Recent technological advances may have made communications cheaper and simpler via email and video call applications. But 바카라사이트 researchers note that, while long-distance scientific collaboration has become easier, “face-to-face meetings, often enabled by air travel, remain important for 바카라사이트 production of knowledge”.
“Our results support 바카라사이트 idea that as frictions due to geographic distance are reduced, scientists are able to adjust 바카라사이트ir collaboration portfolios accordingly, potentially finding better matches over distance,” 바카라사이트 paper says. “Given that 바카라사이트 savings involved are modest relative to 바카라사이트 overall cost of a research project in 바카라사이트 fields we studied, a potential policy implication of our results would be to support scientists with limited budgets through travel grants.”
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