Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Barnard, Helena
Author-Email: barnardh@gibs.co.za
Author-workplace-name: GIBS, University of Pretoria, South Africa 
Author-Name: Cowan, Robin
Author-Email: cowan@merit.unu.edu
Author-workplace-name: UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University, and BETA, Universite de
	 Strasbourg, Institut Universitaire de France
Author-Name: Muller, Moritz
Author-Email: mueller@unistra.fr
Author-workplace-name: BETA, Universite de Strasbourg
Title: On the value of foreign PhDs in the developing world: Training versus
	 selection effects   
Abstract: This paper compares the career effects of overseas and domestic PhD 
	 training for scientists working in an emerging economy, South Africa. 
	 Variations in scientific achievements of South African academics may 
	 arise because those who attend "better" PhD programmes receive better 
	 training, but it may also be because good students select into good 
	 universities. We examine selection and training effects for four tiers 
	 of South African and two tiers of foreign universities. Those who 
	 received PhDs from universities in industrialized countries tend to be 
	 more productive than those whose PhDs were locally granted, but 
	 universities from industrialized countries do not necessarily provide 
	 better training than local universities. Pure selection effects 
	 contribute to career outcomes nearly as much as training effects. When 
	 looking at training in isolation, PhDs from top South African 
	 universities produce a similar quantity and quality research output to 
	 those from leading universities in the developed world.
Keywords: Scientific mobility, Doctoral studies, University evaluation, Developing
	 country, South Africa, Technological upgrading
Classification-JEL: F63, H52, I2, O15, O20, O30
Series: UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Creation-Date: 20160126
Number: 2016-006
File-URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/wppdf/2016/wp2016-006.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 275 kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2016006