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The Growing Allocative Inefficiency of the US Higher Education Sector

In: Science and Engineering Careers in the United States: An Analysis of Markets and Employment

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  • James D. Adams
  • J. Roger Clemmons

Abstract

This paper presents new evidence on research and teaching productivity in universities using a panel of 102 top U.S. schools during 1981-1999. Faculty employment grows at 0.6 percent per year, compared with growth of 4.9 percent in industrial researchers. Productivity growth per researcher is 1.4-6.7 percent and is higher in private universities. Productivity growth per teacher is 0.8-1.1 percent and is higher in public universities. Growth in research productivity within universities exceeds overall growth, because the research share grows in universities where productivity growth is less. This finding suggests that allocative efficiency of U.S. higher education declined during the late 20th century. R&D stock, endowment, and post-docs increase research productivity in universities, the effect of nonfederal R&D is less, and the returns to research are diminishing. Since the nonfederal R&D share grows and is higher in public schools, this may explain the rising inefficiency. Decreasing returns in research but not teaching suggest that most differences in university size are due to teaching.
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Suggested Citation

  • James D. Adams & J. Roger Clemmons, 2009. "The Growing Allocative Inefficiency of the US Higher Education Sector," NBER Chapters, in: Science and Engineering Careers in the United States: An Analysis of Markets and Employment, pages 349-382, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:11627
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. repec:adr:anecst:y:1998:i:49-50:p:05 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Zvi Griliches, 1998. "Productivity, R&D, and Basic Research at the Firm Level in the 1970s," NBER Chapters, in: R&D and Productivity: The Econometric Evidence, pages 82-99, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Goodall, Amanda H., 2009. "Highly cited leaders and the performance of research universities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 1079-1092, September.
    2. Raúl Ramos & Vicente Royuela & Jordi Suriñach, 2007. "An analysis of the determinants in Economics and Business publications by Spanish universities between 1994 and 2004," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 71(1), pages 117-144, April.
    3. Liang Zhang & Wei Bao & Liang Sun, 2016. "Resources and Research Production in Higher Education: A Longitudinal Analysis of Chinese Universities, 2000–2010," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 57(7), pages 869-891, November.
    4. Beerkens, Maarja, 2013. "Facts and fads in academic research management: The effect of management practices on research productivity in Australia," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(9), pages 1679-1693.
    5. Zhang, Liang & Ehrenberg, Ronald G., 2010. "Faculty employment and R&D expenditures at Research universities," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 329-337, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • L3 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights

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