Economics department tops in scholarly publication citations

The Bates College Department of Economics ranks number one in terms of total citations per capita and third overall among 50 top liberal arts colleges studied.

Written by economist Howard Bodenhorn of Lafayette College, the annual study, Economic Scholarship at Elite Liberal Arts Colleges Are Other Economists Paying Attention? measures the influence of 439 economists at the 50 top liberal arts colleges, as identified in U.S. News & World Report. Bodenhorn concluded “Although prominent economists at elite research universities produce the most influential scholarship, economists at the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges make significant contributions to the literature.” Ranking the publication record not by the number or books and articles, but by the frequency with which others cite their work, the study seeks to measure the quality and influence of the department’s scholarly output, rather than its quantity.

David A. Aschauer, the Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics at Bates, was the top-ranked full professor among liberal arts colleges. A former Federal Reserve senior economist, Aschauer has taught at Bates since 1989. His teaching and research interests center on macroeconomics, financial markets and public finance.

Associate Professor James W. Hughes, chair of the Bates economics department, ranked ninth in quality-adjusted citations and 11th overall among associate professors. Hughes has taught at Bates since 1992. His research centers on the economic analysis law, labor economics and health economics.

According to Bodenhorn’s findings, the 10 most productive liberal arts economics departments in the 1990s were Wellesley, Bates, Wesleyan, Colby, Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Smith, Lafayette and Swarthmore.