Max-Planck-Institut für Innovation und Wettbewerb, München, Raum 313
This paper studies the changes in the influence of leading journals in economics, sociology and physics from 1975 to 2017. In economics, the influence of the so-called top 5 journals relative to second tier and top field journals increased starkly in the 1980s and 1990s, stabilizing afterwards. Moreover, the influence of top field journals showed a remarkable convergence in the same period. In contrast, in sociology the relative influence of top journals decreased in the 1980s. We then try to explain these different trends in a model of journal platform competition.
Ansprechpartner: Michael E. Rose, Ph.D.