Post-tenure reviews intended to keep professors productive actually discourage them from researching controversial topics and lead to weaker new hires.
April 1, 2026
Original Paper
Does Post-Tenure Review Affect Research Productivity and Labor-Market Outcomes? Evidence from Finance
SSRN · 6465179
The Takeaway
While these regulations do increase the number of working papers written, they drive away high-performing 'star' professors and cause remaining faculty to play it safe. This suggests that formal oversight can unintentionally stifle academic innovation and damage an institution's ability to attract top talent.
From the abstract
We examine how post-tenure review (PTR) regulations at public universities in Florida and Texas affect academic productivity and labor market outcomes. PTR increases working-paper production by 21% among tenured finance faculty relative to counterparts in other states, with effects concentrated among full professors, male faculty, and research-active scholars. At the same time, PTR reduces within-university collaboration and decreases research on politically controversial topics. We also find th