“Get a PhD and Get Out”: is this really the silver bullet? Insights on postdoctoral academic careers from East Central Europe

Abstract The democratization of science has significantly transformed doctoral education. While numerous studies have examined the potential for collaboration between PhD students and their supervisors, particularly with respect to the mutual benefits of joint research, the long-term impacts of continued mentor–mentee relationships following the completion of a PhD program remain underexplored. This study addresses this research gap by focusing on economists affiliated with the public body of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. By reference to mentor–mentee networks encompassing 1334 individuals (including both graduated PhD holders and current doctoral students to ensure complete network representation), this research investigates the extent to which sustained relationships between former PhD students and their supervisors—measured through network embeddedness and collaboration patterns—influence the academic productivity and career progression of graduated researchers. This analysis draws on open-access data on career milestones and publication records; in particular, it employs network theory to address multilayered networks and uses statistical and econometric techniques to explore time series data. This topic is particularly relevant given that, more than three decades after the collapse of the Soviet model of science, early academic careers in East Central Europe continue to display significant divergences from the trajectories seen in Western contexts. Despite certain limitations, the findings of this research suggest that while intensive collaboration (measured by coauthorship) between mentors and mentees is most common during doctoral training and declines thereafter, the structural embeddedness within mentor–mentee networks—characterized by sustained supervisory relationships and network positions—positively impacts individual academic careers and contributes to academic performance. These findings indicate that the benefits of mentor–mentee relationships extend beyond direct research collaboration to include career support, networking opportunities, and access to academic resources.