On the inauspicious incentives of the scholar-level h-index: an economist’s take on collusive and coercive citation

Faculty renewal, promotion, tenure, merit and awards are typically tied to scholarship performance, which is often measured in several ways, among them citation-based metrics like the scholar-level h-index. With the relatively recent developments of ‘one-touch’ Google Scholar citation tracking and Harzing’s Publish or Perish Software, it is simple to monitor and potentially game one’s personal h-index. This article explores this possibility by assessing the incentives embedded in the scholar-level h-index through the lens of cartels, uncertainty, insurance and game-theoretic best response.