Using novel and large-scale data, we reassess two claims on the effect of a connection to the editorial board of an economics journal and propose a new mechanism. Rather than editors helping departmental colleagues, the connection is particularly beneficial for the joining board members themselves; the impact on departmental colleagues who are not coauthors of the editor is comparatively small. Rather than a marked increase in quality thanks to connections, we find no such increase, if any, there is evidence of favouritism among journals with little editorial board rotation.
Contact: Michael E. Rose