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The determinants of the research output of universities: specialization, quality and inefficiencies

Author

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  • José Manuel Pastor

    (Universitat de València)

  • Lorenzo Serrano

    (Ivie)

Abstract

The analysis of productivity in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at a European level reveals enormous differences in output per researcher across countries. This study develops a 5-step methodology that explicitly considers the quality of scientific output in EU universities and its specialisations to explain and decompose the differences in output per university researcher in terms of (a) differences in efficiency within each field of science (FOS), (b) differences in FOS specialisation of HEIs in each country, (c) differences in quality, and (d) differences in allocation of resources per researcher. The inefficiency levels estimated show that across the EU as a whole there is a substantial margin for increasing research output without having to spend more resources. There are also major differences between countries in terms of inefficiency. The main sources of heterogeneity in scientific output in the HEIs of the EU are the differences in resources allocated per researcher and, to a lesser extent, the differences in efficiency within each knowledge field. The differences in quality and in specialisation also play a smaller role in determining differences in output.

Suggested Citation

  • José Manuel Pastor & Lorenzo Serrano, 2016. "The determinants of the research output of universities: specialization, quality and inefficiencies," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(2), pages 1255-1281, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:109:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-016-2102-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-2102-3
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    2. Giuri, Paola & Munari, Federico & Scandura, Alessandra & Toschi, Laura, 2019. "The strategic orientation of universities in knowledge transfer activities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 261-278.
    3. Mehdi Rhaiem & Nabil Amara, 2020. "Determinants of research efficiency in Canadian business schools: evidence from scholar-level data," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(1), pages 53-99, October.
    4. Mohammed S. Alqahtani & Mohamed Abbas & Mohammed Abdul Muqeet & Hussain M. Almohiy, 2022. "Research Productivity in Terms of Output, Impact, and Collaboration for University Researchers in Saudi Arabia: SciVal Analytics and t -Tests Statistical Based Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-21, December.
    5. Samira Foladi & Maghsud Solimanpur & Mustafa Jahangoshai Rezaee, 2020. "Inverse Dynamic Data Envelopment Analysis for Evaluating Faculties of University with Quasi-Fixed Inputs," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 323-347, February.
    6. repec:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2018-001 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Robertas Damaševičius & Ligita Zailskaitė-Jakštė, 2023. "The Impact of a National Crisis on Research Collaborations: A Scientometric Analysis of Ukrainian Authors 2019–2022," Publications, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, August.
    8. Tanel Hirv, 2022. "The interplay of the size of the research system, ways of collaboration, level, and method of funding in determining bibliometric outputs," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(3), pages 1295-1316, March.
    9. 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.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    HEI; Specialization; Research output; Efficiency; Quality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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