Old and Connected versus Young and Creative: Networks and the Diffusion of New Scientific Ideas

LIEPP's Discriminations and category-based policies research group is pleased to convene the seminar:

Old and Connected versus Young and Creative: Networks and the Diffusion of New Scientific Ideas

January 28th. 12:30-13:45.

Sciences Po, room CS16, 1 place Saint Thomas d'Aquin, 75007 Paris. 

Speaker:  Wei Cheng, visiting professor at LIEPP

Abstract: The adoption of new ideas is essential for progress and involves innovators, potential adopters, and the networks connecting them. This paper applies natural language processing, network analysis, and a novel fixed effects strategy to study how the aging of the biomedical research workforce affects idea adoption. At short distances, young innovators’ ideas are adopted the most, while at greater network distances, mid-career innovators’ ideas have the highest adoption. The main reason for this contrast is that young innovators are close to young potential adopters who are more open to new ideas, but mid-career innovators are more central in networks. Simulations show that the aging of innovators and of potential adopters have comparable effects on the adoption of important new ideas.