An Empirical Analysis of Researchers' Time Allocation and Research Productivity

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13517
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07050:Public economics and labor economics-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University (2022-2023); Waseda University (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Kikuchi Yuta 大阪大学, 社会経済研究所, 特任助教(常勤) (60782117)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 診療と研究のトレードオフ / イノベーションと市場支配力 / 知識のスピルオーバー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study empirically visualized potential trade-offs in medical research activities. Specifically, we estimated the impact of the 2004 partial privatization of national universities on research outcomes, using private universities as a control group in a quasi-experimental setting. The results showed that partial privatization had a significant negative effect on medical research outcomes at national universities, suggesting that national university hospitals may have prioritized medical care over research to compensate for cuts in operating subsidies. Additionally, innovation research using data from the Meiji era onwards suggested that (1) product diversification in the cotton spinning industry may lead to increased market power, and (2) the patent invention trends of university graduates influence those of non-graduates, confirming Granger causality.

Free Research Field

応用計量経済学、実証産業組織論、労働経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

大学の研究者の各活動(研究、診療活動)間のトレードオフ、補完関係を定量的に評価し、それらが研究生産性に与える影響を可視化することに一部成功した。研究力向上に向けた大学や政府の政策立案に貢献することが期待される。また、明治以降の日本の産業発展とイノベーションに関する3つの実証研究から、(1)綿糸紡績業の製品多角化によるマークアップ向上の可能性、(2)大卒者の特許発明傾向が非大卒者に影響を与えること、(3)高度人材の増加が非大卒発明者の特許傾向に与える影響が示唆された。これらの知見は日本の産業発展の源泉解明に重要な意義を持つ。