To investigate the relationship between Chinese university funding and academic output, we collected data on the scale and the structure of funding and academic output of 36 World-Class universities under construction in China during 2013-21 and 2014-22. Furthermore, we empirically analyzed the effects of funding scale and structure on academic…

Purpose: The main objective of the paper is to develop an investment model using data envelopment analysis (DEA) that provides a decision-making framework to allocate resources efficiently, such that the relative efficiency is improved within an available investment budget. Design/methodology/approach: Firstly, DEA models are used to evaluate the…

As part of the shift towards a more equitable research culture, funders are reconsidering traditional approaches to peer review. In doing so, they seek to minimize bias towards certain research ideas and researcher profiles, to ensure greater inclusion of disadvantaged groups, to improve review quality, to reduce burden, and to enable more…

The allocation of financial resources in higher education has always been a hot topic of concern in academia and society. The measurement and evaluation of the allocation efficiency of higher education financial resources from the perspective of 'Double first-class' construction is the most important initiative to improve the quality of higher…

This paper explores the regulators' perspective and demonstrates how legitimacy deficits of private universities outweigh performance results in decisions regarding university inspections. We examined the period when the regulator had an urgent claim on Russian universities, particularly during the campaign to 'clean the system of higher…

Monitoring of research performance, especially performance-based allocation of research funding inevitably creates intended and unintended incentives for universities. In this article, we study if monitoring performance acts as an incentive for improved research performance by scrutinizing the development of two essential indicators of Finnish…

The concept and practice of experiential education is rapidly expanding as universities seek to strengthen and integrate high-impact practices under experiential education plans and centers. While this integration has the potential to create synergy across disparate experiential learning offerings and to provide the benefits of experiential…

This study applies resource dependence theory to address the question of how the critical resource dependence relationship emerges in the context of a university's performance agreement. This study focuses on two Nordic universities that have adopted performance agreements while simultaneously using strong performance-based state funding. Resource…

This paper provides a small-scale exploration of the evolvement of leadership roles in higher education academic units (AUs), namely Departments, Schools & Faculties. A literature review provides theoretical examples of the evolution of professional services (PS) staff. Changes in PS leadership roles are also explored alongside the emergence…

State funding for public higher education institutions is crucial in supporting college access and completion, particularly among students from historically under-represented groups, yet little is known about the mechanisms that states use to allocate funds and how they are affected by financial challenges. This article provides the first detailed…

Interdisciplinarity is widely considered necessary to solving many contemporary problems, and new funding structures and instruments have been created to encourage interdisciplinary research at universities. In this article, we study a small technical university specializing in green technology which implemented a strategy aimed at promoting and…

Over the last decades, most EU countries have profoundly reshaped their public research funding systems by shifting from traditional institutional block-funding towards more project-based mechanisms. The main rationale underlying this evolution builds on the assumption that project funding would foster research performance through the introduction…

Purpose: The adoption of an entrepreneurial posture supports higher education institutions (HEIs) in their quest for growth. The present study examines the role faculty members play in adopting an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in HEIs within the Kuwaiti academic context and aims to assess whether this orientation contributes to fostering…

One of the goals of China's 'Double First-class' initiative is to boost the top-notch disciplines in those next-to-top universities and allow their differentiated paths towards development. This study investigates Chinese universities' policy interpretations and strategic responses to this national initiative through a social network analysis of…

Higher education is increasingly defined by data, indicators and metrics. The paper examines how English universities conceptualise and articulate their perspectives on 'teaching quality' in the context of the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) in the UK. By adopting a qualitative thematic analysis approach, the author…