Impact of conditional Monetary Transfers on the academic profession in Mexico: Different times, different conditions

Abstract

This study explores the academic profession in Mexico at two times: when academic careers were governed by salaries, and the subsequent period in which they were regulated by "merit-based pay". This analysis uses data from the study "The Changing Academic Profession (CAP) in Mexico" (2007) with respect to members of the National System of Researchers (SNI), and splits the sample into two groups: veterans and young academics, the former from the first period and the latter from the period when academic careers were shaped by Conditional Monetary Transfers (TMC, in Spanish). Three indicators were constructed: time taken to obtain a doctorate degree, time taken to hold a full-time position, and previous education upon entry into an academic career. The results of the comparison show that Conditional Monetary Transfers changed the timing of education and entry into the academic career, and the level of education of researchers beginning their career.