In this paper we have put forward a model of basic research and long-run economic growth in which the system of incentives to scientific work may produce positive feedbacks and increasing returns. The organization of basic research presents both real and non-real incentives to workers. The state...

Purpose – Recent economic research has focused on the economic effects of the social environment. In the economic literature, important phenomena are considered, at least in part, as results of the individual's social environment. There is a similar revival of interest among economists who...

In this paper, we analyze the effects of research collaborations on the scientific output of academic institutions, drawing on data from the first official Italian research assessment exercise. We measure the scientific performance of a research unit as the number of publications that received...