Sponsored and Contest Mobility of American Academic Scientists

Abstract

Analysis of data for 576 natural scientists currently faculty in U. S. graduate institutions shows that the prestige of the institution where a scientist received his doctorate is related to the prestige of his present affiliation even when the effects of his productivity are controlled. The relative effects of prestige of doctoral institution and productivity vary between different levels of the academic stratification system and between different stages in the scientific career. Turner's concepts of contest and sponsored mobility are related to these findings, and conditions prom,oting the existence of each type of mobility are suggested.