經濟學系講座: Academic Freedom and Creativity: An Empirical Investigation

講者: 司馬帝教授/南京審計大學 經濟與金融研究所 助理教授

日期: 20/8/2025 (三)

時間: 14:00-15:15

語言: 英語

地點: E21B-G016

內容: This study examines the impact of academic freedom reform on university graduates’ creativity using a large, multi-decade, cross-country sample. We construct a novel creativity index based on occupational task data and analyze how reforms in an individual’s home country affect their creativity after immigrating to the United States. Exploiting variation in reform timing across countries, we find that academic freedom reform significantly enhances graduates’ labor market creativity. Results are robust to multiple DID estimators, alternative specifications, placebo tests, and IV methods, as well as approaches addressing potential biases. Effects are particularly pronounced for developing countries, environments with decentralized governance, and low corruption. Reforms appear to boost creativity by encouraging higher educational attainment, facilitating entry into high-tech and research-oriented fields, and promoting managerial and professional roles. Our findings underscore the economic value of academic freedom and its potential as a policy instrument for nurturing student creativity.