The Academic Profession in Argentina and Spain and its Scientific Productivity in the Social Sciences

The objective of this paper is to analyze why scientific productivity in the social sciences is much greater in Spain than in Argentina. The research method is comparative case studies with a focus on the organization of the academic profession in both countries. Conclusions are that the greater Spanish productivity is due largely to institutionalization of the "publish or perish" imperative as a central condition for permanence in professorial positions as well as progress in the academic career. In contrast, the Argentinean case shows a different panorama, in which full-time commitment to university teaching is rare rather than the norm in the social sciences, and few professors have a doctoral degree.