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The salaries of Italian Renaissance professors

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Abstract

I offer insight into the principles by which the salaries of Italian Renaissance professors were determined. There is a longstanding fascination with the fact that some professors during the Renaissance had extremely high salaries. It has been suggested that at the top of the salary scale were the superstars, professors who could attract many students and raise the prestige of the university. Through an analysis of data on the salaries of professors at Padua in 1422–1423, I argue that much of the differences in salaries can be explained in terms of the stage of career of professors. Those professors who have taught the longest tend to be paid the most. Hence, there is little evidence for the superstar thesis.

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Correspondence to K. Brad Wray.

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Brad Wray, K. The salaries of Italian Renaissance professors. Scientometrics 80, 351–357 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-008-2073-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-008-2073-0

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