Up or out: Research incentives and career prospects of postdocs in Germany

Arbeitspapier

Academic careers in Germany have been under debate for a while. We conduct a survey among postdocs in Germany, to analyze the perceptions and attitudes of postdocs regarding their research incentives, their working conditions, and their career prospects. We conceptualize the career prospects of a postdoc in a life-cycle perspective of transitions from academic training to academic or non-academic jobs. Only about half of the postdocs sees strong incentives for academic research, but there is quite a strong confidence to succeed in an academic career. Furthermore, postdocs who attended a PhD program show better career prospects and higher research incentives compared to others. Academic career prospects and motivation are strongest for assistant professors. Apart from this small group, however, postdocs report only a small impact of the university reforms of the last decade. Female postdocs show significantly higher research incentives but otherwise we find little gender differences. Finally, good prospects in non-academic jobs are not associated with a reduction in the motivation for research.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 6407

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Role of Economics; Role of Economists; Market for Economists ; Economic Education and Teaching of Economics: Other ; Analysis of Education ; Higher Education; Research Institutions ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Particular Labor Markets: Other
• Subject: postdocs ; academic career prospects ; research incentives ; university reforms ; Wissenschaftler ; Akademiker ; Erwerbsverlauf ; Leistungsanreiz ; Forschung ; Wahrnehmung ; Deutschland

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Fitzenberger, Bernd ; Leuschner, Ute
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2012

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/58725
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-201206146927
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET