The Role of Connections in Academic Promotions∗

The selection of evaluators is subject to a well-known dilemma. Evaluators who are acquainted with candidates may possess superior information about their quality. Unfortunately, their criteria might also be biased. This paper analyzes the role of connections in academic promotions using evidence from centralized evaluations in Spain. Applicants have significantly better chances of success if they are ran-domly assigned to an evaluation committee that includes an acquainted evaluator. However, the source of this premium depends on the strength of the connection. Candidates who were promoted by a weak connection, such as a member of their thesis committee, turn out to be more productive than other promoted candidates in the five-year period following the promotion. On the contrary, candidates who were promoted by a strong link, such as their thesis advisor, a co-author or a colleague, exhibit a worse research record both before and after the evaluation