scholarly journals Studying the heterogeneity of European higher education institutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 1117-1144
Author(s):  
Renato Bruni ◽  
Giuseppe Catalano ◽  
Cinzia Daraio ◽  
Martina Gregori ◽  
Henk F. Moed
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
National Level ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
European Countries ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Database Clustering

AbstractThe heterogeneity of the Higher Education (HE) Institutions is one of the main critical issues in the assessment of their performance. This paper adopts a multi-level and multi-dimensional perspective, combining national (macro) and institution (micro) level data, and measuring both research and teaching activity, using performance indicators derived from the European Tertiary Education Register, CWTS Leiden Ranking, and PATSTAT patent database. Clustering and efficiency analysis are combined to characterize the heterogeneity of national HE systems in European countries, and reveal the potential of using micro level data to characterize national level performance. Large differences are observed between the European countries, partially due to the fact that they are in different phases of their scientific (and economic) development and of the re-structuring of their HE systems. Evidence is found that universities specializing either in teaching or in research tend to have a higher efficiency than those institutions balancing research and teaching. Tradeoffs are observed between undergraduate and post-graduate activities, and a “Matthew cumulative effect” seems in place on the European institutions analysed: high quality research is able to attract external funds that stimulate innovative and patenting activities that in turn are self-reinforcing to the scientific activities. The results reveal once more the limits and dangers of one-dimensional approaches to the performance of HEIs.

scholarly journals HEC Ranking Criteria in the Perspective of Global University Ranking Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol IV (II) ◽  
pp. 43-50
Author(s):  
Fazeelat Noreen ◽  
Bashir Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
National Level ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Ranking Criteria ◽  
Ranking Systems ◽  
Global University ◽  
University Ranking Systems

Globalization and market-based orientation of higher education institutions has increased interest of students, parents, employers, universities, funding agencies, governments, and relevant stakeholders in knowing the rank of their concerned universities at national/global level. This has led to the emergence of several global university ranking systems. Aligned with international trends of ranking, Higher Education of Pakistan [HEC] also initiated ranking of universities at the national level in Pakistan. Subsequently, HEC designed comprehensive ranking criteria for ranking of universities and has implemented it since 2010. This study analyzes the nature of HEC ranking criteria and its constituent indicators from the perspective of global university ranking systems. Using content and thematic analysis, this study found that global university ranking systems mainly focus quality of research and teaching, while HEC additionally focuses effective and efficient use of resources, provision of facilities, social integration, and impact on community development.

Neo-Liberal Governance in Higher Education

2013 ◽  
pp. 204-221
Author(s):  
Paul Morrissey
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
The Core ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
International Environment ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Governance In Higher Education ◽  
Institutional Reputation ◽  
National Systems

This chapter analyzes the emerging trend in tertiary education to manage institutional reputation, and it offers evidence from case studies in developed and emerging economies to support the analysis. The evidence presented suggests that this activity is global in scope and is associated with the ever-increasing competitive environment in which universities and other tertiary colleges find themselves. The management of reputation appears to revolve around the core activities of research and teaching and the development of an international environment, suggesting a convergence of governance at the micro level. The purpose of the chapter is to provide a new perspective on neo-liberal governance in HE, and to show how the current emphasis on international competition and the knowledge economy affects individual institutions in different national systems in different ways. The chapter also points to the challenges that the quest for enhanced reputation may present managers.

scholarly journals Electoral Arrangements and Turnout Variance at the Sub-National Level: Comparative Insights from Three Constituencies in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Fortune Agbele
Keyword(s):  
Voter Turnout ◽  
National Level ◽  
Individual Perceptions ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Cost Of Voting ◽  
Different Levels

Using micro-level data from three constituencies in Ghana, which are cases of high, average and low turnout respectively, I assess whether voters’ perceptions of the cost of voting (resource and time) can explain such variation in voter turnout. Results suggest that in Ghana, such individual perceptions of the cost associated with voting do not help in explaining variance in voter turnout at the constituency level: Across the different levels of turnout, there is little to no variance in voters’ perceptions. I find that the high positive perceptions of the electoral processes across high, average, and low turnout constituencies are not only due to the activities of the electoral management body but among others, the adjustments by citizens to the process based on their experiences from past elections.

Higher Education Finance

Education ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Jongbloed
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Education Finance ◽  
Higher Education Finance ◽  
Organizational Studies ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Economic Nature ◽  
Political Economic

The financing of higher (or tertiary) education deals with issues of resourcing (i.e., funding) higher education institutions, their students, and their (academic and nonacademic) staff. The study of higher education finance covers the sources of funding for higher education (including the balance between public and private funds) as well as the uses of those funds (for education, research, student support, infrastructure, staffing, campus development, etc.). The management of funds is essentially a study of choice—about using scarce resources to achieve often-conflicting goals—which implies that it also extends to issues of priority setting, effectiveness, and efficiency. In many ways, these are questions of a political-economic nature. With higher education being such a large part of the public sector, the study of higher education finance, on the one hand, may be seen as part of public finance, while on the other hand, as a subfield of the economics of education. In times of shrinking public budgets, there is increasing scrutiny on how public resources for higher education are allocated and used. At the national (country, state) level, reforms in educational financing are frequently debated in policy circles, with the goal of identifying the funding mechanism that produces the best outcomes in terms of guaranteeing access for students, high-quality education, and high-quality research, as well as connecting this education and research to the needs of society. At the level of the higher education institution (i.e., university, college, or specialized institution), debates will often focus on the internal budgeting system and how the institution can make sure it runs its operations in a financially sound way in the short term, with sufficient incentives for efficiency and revenue generation, as well as incentives for innovation on the mid- to long term. All of this illustrates the many trade-offs and dilemmas that appear in the study of higher education finance. It also shows that the topic of higher education finance touches on many other research fields in higher education, including, for example, governance, privatization, and student financial aid. And given the political-economic nature of these issues, many conceptual approaches used for the study of higher education finance are imported from economics, political science, public administration, public policy, or organizational studies. Because the field of higher education finance is constantly evolving, the topics that are at the forefront of scholarly research are to be found primarily in academic journals. The themes covered in the study of higher education finance deal with some of the above-mentioned major trade-offs and dilemmas. After first presenting some of the general-overview works in higher education finance, this article will cover some of these themes touching on the most-important policy debates in higher education finance.

Some issues of theory in the study of tenure relations in African agriculture

Africa ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. O. Okoth-Ogendo
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Complex Phenomenon ◽  
Data Bases ◽  
Precise Nature ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
African Agriculture ◽  
Agrarian Crisis

ProlegomenonWhat has become known as ‘the African agrarian crisis’ is an extremely complex phenomenon. This much is clear from the fact that, despite the very considerable amount of literature which has been accumulated on the subject (Berry, 1984), there is still very little agreement as to its precise nature and dimensions and even less certainty on how to resolve it in the context of national level policies, plans and programmes. What this must mean, inter alia, is that explanations cannot be sought simply in pithy epigrams drawn from grand theories and hastily assembled micro-level data bases.

Exploring the supply and demand factors of varietal turnover in Indian wheat

2015 ◽  
Vol 154 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. V. KRISHNA ◽  
D. J. SPIELMAN ◽  
P. C. VEETTIL
Keyword(s):  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
National Level ◽  
Wheat Breeding ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Gradual Decline ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Breeder Seed ◽  
Micro Level

SUMMARYCultivar depreciation – the gradual decline in relative advantage of a cultivated variety over time – accentuates the vulnerability of resource-poor farmers to production risks. The current paper addresses constraints in combating cultivar depreciation of wheat in India. National level data on quoted demand for breeder seeds and breeder seed production indicated a slowdown in the rate of cultivar turnover of wheat, with average varietal age increasing from 9 years in 1997 to 12 years in 2009. Analysis of cultivar adoption patterns among farmer households of Haryana State also indicates that farmers prefer cultivars that were released a decade ago over the recent ones. Cultivar turnover rates are found to be particularly low among marginal farmers. While the structure of India's wheat breeding and seed delivery systems might be the primary cause of slow cultivar turnover, a number of social and economic factors at the micro-level are also responsible. Many of the constraints to technology adoption and wheat productivity growth, identified during the Green Revolution era, persist even today.

scholarly journals COVID-19 European regional tracker

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asjad Naqvi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
National Level ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Raw Data ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Administrative Units ◽  
European Regional

AbstractThis Tracker presents data on daily COVID-19 cases at the sub-national level for 26 European countries from January 2020 till present. Country-level data sources are identified and processed to form a homogenized panel at the NUTS 3 or NUTS 2 level, the two lowest standardized administrative units in Europe. The strengths and weaknesses of each country dataset are discussed in detail. The raw data, spatial layers, the code, and the final homogenized files are provided in an online repository for replication. The data highlights the spatial distribution of cases both within and across countries that can be utilized for a disaggregated analysis on the impacts of the pandemic. The Tracker is updated monthly to expand its coverage.

scholarly journals COVID-19 European regional tracker

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asjad Naqvi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
National Level ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Raw Data ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Administrative Units ◽  
European Regional

ABSTRACTThis Tracker presents data on daily COVID-19 cases at the sub-national level for 26 European countries from January 2020 till present. Country-level data sources are identified and processed to form a homogenized panel at the NUTS 3 or NUTS 2 level, the two lowest standardized administrative units of Europe. The strengths and weaknesses of each country dataset are discussed in detail. The raw data, spatial layers, the code, and the final homogenized files are provided in an online repository for replication. The data highlights the spatial distribution of cases both within and across countries that can be utilized for a disaggregated analysis on the impacts of the pandemic. The Tracker is updated monthly to expand its coverage.

scholarly journals Staffing the Higher Education Classroom

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-162
Author(s):  
David Figlio ◽  
Morton Schapiro
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Contingent Faculty ◽  
Teaching Excellence ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Northwestern University ◽  
Alternative Measures

We discuss some centrally important decisions faced by colleges and universities regarding how to staff their undergraduate classrooms. We describe the multitasking problem faced by research-intensive institutions and explore the degree to which there may be a trade-off between research and teaching excellence using matched student-faculty-level data from Northwestern University. We present two alternative measures of teaching effectiveness—one capturing “deep learning” and one capturing “inspiration”—and demonstrate that neither is correlated with measures of research success. We discuss the move toward contingent faculty in US universities and show that on average, contingent faculty outperform tenure-line faculty in the introductory classroom, a pattern driven by the lowest-performing instructors according to our measures. We also present some of the ways in which instructor gender, race, and ethnicity might matter. Together, these pieces of evidence show that several institutional objectives associated with staffing undergraduate classrooms may be in tension with one another.

scholarly journals Academic Freedom in a Changing Academic World

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S55-S69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Aarrevaara
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Freedom ◽  
Academic Profession ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Institutional Autonomy ◽  
Academic World ◽  
Higher Education Systems ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Definition Of

This article considers the academic profession and academic freedom in light of the results of the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) survey in Finland and four other European countries. Academic freedom is examined as a phenomenon that provides a setting for goal determination by members of the academic profession. It has a bearing on both institutional autonomy and individual academic freedom, i.e. the freedom of research and teaching. Academic freedom can be examined on the basis of material from the CAP survey through the questions about the freedom of teaching, the definition of work, working as a member of a community, the power of influence, funding, and the evaluation of quality. The concept of academic freedom varies slightly between countries, in part because of the growth of higher education systems and because of the increasing demand for ‘relevance’ being imposed on universities.

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