Does Teaching Enhance Research in Economics?

摘要

Can you think of an instance in which your teaching enhanced your research? We have had several such experiences and wondered if it was a common phenomenon among economists. We asked several eminent economists if they could cite a specific study that emanated directly from their teaching. The original goal was to report some examples of how teaching could play a positive role in research. We expanded our goal, however, when we were swamped with examples. We found that (ⅰ) teaching plays a far more important role in enhancing research than the existing literature suggests, (ⅱ) this influence is recognized by a large fraction of active researchers, and (ⅲ) this positive effect of teaching on research occurs through a wide variety of channels.