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Convergence or polarisation? The impact of research assessment exercises in the Italian case

Author

Listed:
  • Daniele Checchi

    (Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR))

  • Irene Mazzotta

    (Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR))

  • Sandro Momigliano

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Francesco Olivanti

    (School of Management of Politecnico di Milano)

Abstract

Two research assessments with an impact on university funding have taken place in Italy, covering the periods 2004–2010 and 2011–2014. After correcting grading schemes in order to grant comparability across the two exercises, we show that university final scores exhibit some convergence. We find that convergence is largely due to changes in the relative productivity of researchers who participated to both exercises as well as to hiring and promotions occurred between the two exercises. Results are confirmed even when we equalise the number of products across the two exercises. When we consider departments within universities, we still find convergence, though the structure and composition of departments is not strictly comparable, because mapping researchers involves some arbitrariness. These results suggest that convergence reflect genuine changes in the behaviour of researchers and in the strategies of assessed institutions, induced by incentives created by the national research assessment exercises.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniele Checchi & Irene Mazzotta & Sandro Momigliano & Francesco Olivanti, 2020. "Convergence or polarisation? The impact of research assessment exercises in the Italian case," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 124(2), pages 1439-1455, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:124:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-020-03517-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-020-03517-2
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    1. Bertocchi, Graziella & Gambardella, Alfonso & Jappelli, Tullio & Nappi, Carmela A. & Peracchi, Franco, 2015. "Bibliometric evaluation vs. informed peer review: Evidence from Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 451-466.
    2. Daniele Checchi & Alberto Ciolfi & Gianni De Fraja & Irene Mazzotta & Stefano Verzillo, 2021. "Have you Read This? An Empirical Comparison of the British REF Peer Review and the Italian VQR Bibliometric Algorithm," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 88(352), pages 1107-1129, October.
    3. Robert J. Barro, 1998. "Determinants of Economic Growth: A Cross-Country Empirical Study," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262522543, December.
    4. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D'Angelo, 2015. "The VQR, Italy's second national research assessment: Methodological failures and ranking distortions," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 66(11), pages 2202-2214, November.
    5. Alberto Baccini & Giuseppe De Nicolao, 2016. "Do they agree? Bibliometric evaluation versus informed peer review in the Italian research assessment exercise," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 108(3), pages 1651-1671, September.
    6. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo & Flavia Di Costa, 2014. "Inefficiency in selecting products for submission to national research assessment exercises," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 98(3), pages 2069-2086, March.
    7. Robert A. Buckle & John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2020. "Is external research assessment associated with convergence or divergence of research quality across universities and disciplines? Evidence from the PBRF process in New Zealand," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(36), pages 3919-3932, July.
    8. Robert A. Buckle & John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2020. "Is external research assessment associated with convergence or divergence of research quality across universities and disciplines? Evidence from the PBRF process in New Zealand," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(36), pages 3919-3932, July.
    9. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo & Francesco Rosati, 2016. "The north–south divide in the Italian higher education system," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(3), pages 2093-2117, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Robert A. Buckle & John Creedy & Ashley Ball, 2021. "Fifteen Years of a PBRFS in New Zealand: Incentives and Outcomes," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 54(2), pages 208-230, June.
    2. Vincenzo Mariani & Roberto Torrini, 2022. "The geographic divides of the Italian higher education system," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 675, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    3. Robert A. Buckle & John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2022. "Sources of convergence and divergence in university research quality: evidence from the performance-based research funding system in New Zealand," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(6), pages 3021-3047, June.
    4. Buckle, Robert A. & Creedy, John & Ball, Ashley, 2020. "A Schumpeterian Gale: Using Longitudinal Data to Evaluate Responses to Performance-Based Research Funding Systems," Working Paper Series 9447, Victoria University of Wellington, Chair in Public Finance.
    5. Buckle, Robert A. & Creedy, John & Ball, Ashley, 2020. "A Schumpeterian Gale: Using Longitudinal Data to Evaluate Responses to Performance-Based Research Funding Systems," Working Paper Series 21104, Victoria University of Wellington, Chair in Public Finance.
    6. Robert A. Buckle & John Creedy, 2022. "Methods to evaluate institutional responses to performance‐based research funding systems," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 615-634, September.
    7. Mehmet Pinar, 2023. "Do research performances of universities and disciplines in England converge or diverge? An assessment of the progress between research excellence frameworks in 2014 and 2021," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(10), pages 5731-5766, October.
    8. Robert A. Buckle & John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2022. "Sources of convergence and divergence in university research quality: evidence from the performance-based research funding system in New Zealand," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(6), pages 3021-3047, June.
    9. Giliberto Capano & Benedetto Lepori, 2024. "Designing policies that could work: understanding the interaction between policy design spaces and organizational responses in public sector," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 57(1), pages 53-82, March.
    10. E. Marrocu & R. Paci, 2024. "The influence of regional contextual factors on public university efficiency in Italy," Working Paper CRENoS 202424, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    11. Banal-Estañol, Albert & Jofre-Bonet, Mireia & Iori, Giulia & Maynou, Laia & Tumminello, Michele & Vassallo, Pietro, 2023. "Performance-based research funding: Evidence from the largest natural experiment worldwide," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).

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