Nobel begets Nobel in economics

Abstract

I construct the professor-student network for laureates of and candidates for the Nobel Prize in Economics. I study the effect of proximity to previous Nobelists on winning the Nobel Prize. Conditional on being Nobel-worthy, students and grand students of Nobel laureates are significantly less likely to win. Professors and fellow students of Nobel Prize winners, however, are significantly more likely to win.

keywords: Network formation; Nobel prize; Research training