Subways and scientists' productivity under the NSFC program: Evidence from China

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of subway openings in Chinese cities on scientists’ productivity. Using the data from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a difference-in-differences method is employed to explore the causal relationship between search costs and scientists’ productivity. We find subway openings significantly increase scientist’s productivity, particularly in terms of the number of publications and its’ quality. Regarding the underlying mechanism, we show that scientific collaboration and talent attraction both contribute to productivity. Furthermore, heterogeneous analysis reveals that the impact of subway openings on productivity is more pronounced among Double First-Class universities, young scholars, and disciplines requiring frequent face-to-face communication. Additionally, this research integrates face-to-face communication via subway access with online communication through Broadband China construction into a comprehensive framework. The findings suggest that while both modes of communication boost the scientists’ publication quantity, but only face-to-face interaction improves its’ quality.