Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/245719 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 14668
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Academics are increasingly expected to engage in public discussions. We study how engagement conditions affect academics' engagement attitudes via a survey experiment among 4,091 tenured professors in Germany. Consistent with the crowding-out of intrinsic motivation, we find less-positive attitudes when emphasizing public authorities' demands and public expectations regarding science's societal relevance. Effects are particularly strong among professors endorsing science–society relations. Moreover, effects are similar when highlighting risks associated with engagement, but more pronounced for females, and absent when emphasizing public support for academics' engagement. We conclude that considering individual incentive structures and safeguarding against repercussions may promote academics' engagement.
Subjects: 
science communication
public engagement
professor
survey experiment
intrinsic motivation
JEL: 
I23
O33
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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