The national system of researchers in Mexico: implications of publication incentives for researchers in social sciences

This article explores the effects of the Mexican National System of Researchers (SNI) on social science researchers’ scientific output and publication practices. SNI operates as a system of pecuniary bonuses for scientific activity; these are granted monthly and calculated according to a combination of an ex-post peer review with bibliometric assessment of researchers based on five criteria: scientific output, participation in academic activities, academic initiatives, infrastructure and popularization of science. The admitted members are classified in a ranking system in one of the four categories: SNI III (seniors), SNI II (established), SNI I (early-stage), and candidates (young researchers). The SNI appointment provides the recognition of national investigator that constitutes the most prestigious reward among researchers in the country. The distribution of the 2977 active members in 2013 in the area of social sciences shows a greater concentration of seniors and established researchers within the federal public higher education institutions, while early-stage and young researchers were mostly affiliated with states public universities. Our analysis focuses on general characteristics of SNI members: affiliations, gender, country of graduation, and scientific output. Also, we identify their career pathway through revocation, promotion and retention rates for each category: SNI III, SNI II, SNI I, and Candidates.