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The relevance of knowledge transfer for universities’ efficiency scores: an empirical approximation on the Spanish public higher education system

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  • Eva M. de la Torre
  • Tommaso Agasisti
  • Carmen Perez-Esparrells

Abstract

This article examines how knowledge transfer (KT) indicators affect analyses on efficiency in the Higher Education sector, taking into account the characteristics of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). After revising the concept of third mission as a field for data development and its importance in assessing university performance, we applied various data envelopment analysis models with different specifications to 47 Spanish public universities to test whether KT indicators are relevant when evaluating the performance of HEIs in terms of their efficiency and, if so, which indicators are most suitable. Our results suggest that the effect of including KT indicators in the efficiency analyses varies from university to university according to their characteristics. The subject mix taught at the university, the focus according to each mission’s relative importance within the total range of activities carried out in each university (mission mix), and the mix of their third mission activities affect the increase of the universities’ efficiency scores when KT is taken into account in the analysis. This means that these factors affect the universities’ position for the different efficiency scores.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva M. de la Torre & Tommaso Agasisti & Carmen Perez-Esparrells, 2017. "The relevance of knowledge transfer for universities’ efficiency scores: an empirical approximation on the Spanish public higher education system," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 26(3), pages 211-229.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rseval:v:26:y:2017:i:3:p:211-229.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. DE LA TORRE, Eva M. & PEREZ-ESPARRELLS, Carmen & CASANI, Fernando, 2018. "The Policy Approach For The Third Mission Of Universities: The Spanish Case (1983 – 2018)," Regional and Sectoral Economic Studies, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 18(1), pages 13-30.
    2. Joan Crespo & Jesús Peiró-Palomino & Emili Tortosa-Ausina, 2020. "Does university performance have an economic payoff for their home regions? Evidence for the Spanish provinces," Working Papers 2020/20, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    3. Tavares, Rafael Santos & Angulo-Meza, Lidia & Sant'Anna, Annibal Parracho, 2021. "A proposed multistage evaluation approach for Higher Education Institutions based on network Data envelopment analysis: A Brazilian experience," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    4. Manuel Salas-Velasco, 2024. "Nonparametric efficiency measurement of undergraduate teaching by university size," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 1-29, March.
    5. Bornmann, Lutz & Gralka, Sabine & Anegón, Félix de Moya & Wohlrabe, Klaus, 2023. "Efficiency of universities and research-focused institutions worldwide: The introduction of a new input indicator reflecting institutional staff numbers," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 17(2).
    6. Cristian Barra & Mónica Y. Castro-Peña & Jesús Gabalán Coello, 2024. "Research and knowledge transfer performance in Colombian universities," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 77-96, February.
    7. Samira El Gibari & Trinidad Gómez & Francisco Ruiz, 2022. "Combining reference point based composite indicators with data envelopment analysis: application to the assessment of universities," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(8), pages 4363-4395, August.
    8. Meng, Qiaoyu & Li, Yi & Cao, Qinwei, 2024. "The paradox analysis and functional mechanism between R&D efficiency and transformation effect: Evidence from key universities in China," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    9. Zaira García-Tórtola & David Conesa & Joan Crespo & Emili Tortosa-Ausina, 2024. "Unlocking University Efficiency: A Bayesian Stochastic Frontier Analysis," Working Papers 2024/05, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    10. Heinz Ahn & Marcel Clermont & Julia Langner, 2022. "The impact of selected input and output factors on measuring research efficiency of university research fields: insights from a purpose-, field-, and method-specific perspective," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 92(8), pages 1303-1335, October.
    11. Salas-Velasco, Manuel, 2024. "Evaluation of undergraduate academic programs through data envelopment analysis and time-to-degree estimates at Spanish public universities," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    12. Chen, Xiaolei & Guan, Zhongcheng & Yang, Guoliang & Pan, Hao & Xiong, Xi, 2024. "Evaluation of technology transfer performance for Chinese universities based on a dual-game cross-efficiency model," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    13. Manuel Salas-Velasco, 2020. "Measuring and explaining the production efficiency of Spanish universities using a non-parametric approach and a bootstrapped-truncated regression," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 122(2), pages 825-846, February.
    14. Compagnucci, Lorenzo & Spigarelli, Francesca, 2020. "The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

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