Cambridge Elements celebrates 1,000th issue

Cambridge University Press has published the 1,000th volume in its Cambridge Elements series, an academic publishing innovation that bridges the gap between books and journal articles. 

High profile academics 

The groundbreaking series has published some of the world's most high profile academics including Nudge theorist Cass Sunstein. Noam Chomsky, considered to be the founder of modern linguistics and one of the most cited scholars in modern history, is co-author of a Cambridge Element in the series on Generative Syntax that will be published this summer, and a Nobel laureate is currently undergoing peer review. Michael DeVito, ex NFL New York Jets player, co-authored an Element in our Philosophy of Religion Series, published last month.  

Innovative publishing

Launched in 2019, Cambridge Elements are organised into series that are edited by scholars from top research universities, with each Cambridge Element around 40 to 70 pages in length. Cambridge Elements - which now number 180 series covering a diverse range of arts and science subjects from ancient Egypt to molecular oncology - combine the best features of books and journals to create a quick, concise publishing solution for researchers and readers in the fields of academic publishing and scholarly communication. 

The 1,000th Element, part of the Elements in Development Economics series, is Great Gatsby and the Global South - Intergenerational Mobility, Income Inequality, and Development, authored by Diding Sari, Andy Sumner and Arief Anshory Yusuf. 

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, describes the rise and fall of millionaire Jay Gatsby who, despite his wealth, is excluded from higher social circles of 'Old Stock Americans' due to his poor family background. This Cambridge Element investigates the extent to which children's economic outcomes in the Global South are dependent on their financial situation. While scholars have estimated levels of intergenerational mobile in many developed countries, fewer estimates are available for developing countries where mobility matters more because of starker differences in living standards. 

This Element surveys the area conceptually and empirically; it presents a new estimate for a developing country, namely Indonesia; it discusses the 'Great Gatsby Curve', which concerns the potential for a country's citizens to achieve upward mobility; and it highlights the different position of developed and developing countries. Finally, the piece presents a theoretical framework to explain the drivers of mobility and the 'stickiness' or otherwise of inequality across time. 

Mandy Hill, Managing Director of Academic Publishing, Cambridge University Press, said: "The depth, breadth and nature of the Elements series testify to the value of this new format. Publishing the 1,000th Element is a moment for us to reflect on how far this programme has come in a short period, but will also be an opportunity for us to look forwards to what more we can achieve."

The original aim of the Elements series was to provide a missing link in publishing options and offer greater flexibility in how scholars could communicate and present their work.

Hill concluded: "It is leading the way as one of the very few peer-reviewed, Research Excellence Framework (REF)- and funder-friendly outputs at this length."