Critique of research assessments

Authors

  • Jan Currie Murdoch University

Abstract

This article introduces this issue of articles on research assessments and rankings. It focuses on the British Research Assessment Exercises (RAEs) and New Zealand’s Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) and contrasts these with systems that are not tied to funding formulas and emphasise quality enhancement rather than quality assurance. It indicates the negative consequences for individuals, institutions and the professional ethos of universities. It does not deny that there are also benefits gained by institutions that win additional funding through these mechanisms. Research managers benefit by being able to concentrate the efforts of researchers and gain more control over the research enterprise. However, scholarship and creativity are the likely losers in these exercises.

Author Biography

  • Jan Currie, Murdoch University

    Emeritus Professor Jan Currie works at the Centre for Social and Community Research at Murdoch University and is Adjunct Professor in Economics and Commerce at the University of Western Australia. She specialises in higher education policy, the impact of globalisation on universities, gender equity, and the sociology of work. Her most recent co-authored book with Carol J. Petersen and Ka Ho Mok is Academic Freedom in Hong Kong (Lexington Press, 2006).

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Published

2008-05-01

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2008)

Section

General Refereed Papers

License

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