Representation and educational background of European economists in top journals of economics

We assess the contribution of European authors to 10 top journals of economics from 1980 to 1998. Despite efforts on the European Union and national levels to promote academic excellence, European authors still play a minor role in top journals. Examining the development over time we find little evidence for an increasing share of European contributions. Particular attention has been paid to the educational background of European authors. There is still a segmentation of academic education along language barriers in continental Europe. However, a considerable proportion of European authors has received a PhD from the US.