Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Utilizing data on research proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Economics Program over a 5-year period, this paper examines whether the social capital stock of grant applicants enhances their access to research resources by increasing the probability of being awarded a research grant. We estimate latent-variable specifications of the NSF decision to fund a research proposal. Our results show that, given ability, being a National Bureau of Economic Research associate increases the probability of a research proposal being funded. We interpret this as being consistent with the hypothesized causal effects of social capital. 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.