9 February 2018

What determines the salaries of PhD holders?

In a new paper, Dr Giulio Marini identifies which conditions lead to higher salaries for academics in social sciences and humanities.

The study, A PhD in social sciences and humanities: impacts and mobility to get better salaries in an international comparison, analyses PhD holders in social sciences and humanities in 13 European countries.

Dr Marini finds that those who have advised policy-makers, have undertaken media interviews and have managed and coordinated projects gain higher salaries, other things being equal.

The research also shows that moving country is a good predictor of better wages, provided PhD holders stay in the same sector of study.

Dr Marini argues that the findings suggest that as far as salaries are concerned, it is better for academics to ‘manage’ rather than ‘research’, and demonstrating ‘impact’ is crucial.