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Economic statistics and scientometrics

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Abstract

This paper provides scientometricians with a brief overview of the history of economic statistics and its international standards. Part of the latter is the Frascati family of standards in science and technology input statistics. Some recommendations are given for improvements in these standards. Proposals are developed to relate research inputs as defined in the Frascati manual and bibliometrically measured outputs.

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Notes

  1. An even more advanced approach is to estimate production functions to relate output to all inputs separately. This approach derives from economics; but there output can be measured in money terms. Because scientific output is not sold in the market, it is not valued in money. Instead, there are a number of indicators each of which approaches some aspect of output. Consequently, these indicators have to be related jointly to available input indicators, requiring complicated methodologies. For an introduction to this approach cf. Bonaccorsi and Daraio (2004).

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Acknowledgment

Formerly (1999–2008) at The Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as Director of Research and Science Policy. From 1983 to 1999 at Statistics Netherlands, as Chief of the National Accounts Research Unit, Head of the Departments of Labor and Education Statistics, and Director of Socio-Economic Statistics. I am grateful to Cathelijn Waaijer for comments on the manuscript.

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  1. Professor of Science Policy at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

    Cornelis A. van Bochove

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  1. Cornelis A. van Bochove
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Correspondence to Cornelis A. van Bochove.

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van Bochove, C.A. Economic statistics and scientometrics. Scientometrics 96, 799–818 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-0960-5

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