The Hope Fulfilled? Measuring Research Performance of Universities in the Economic Crisis

The economic and financial crisis of 2008-2013 caused most universities to revisit their traditional funding allocations. In a time of budget constraints, some universities have been able to enjoy an increasing level of research expenditure, while other aspects of their budgets have been cut. This article analyzes changes in research funding and output at three research universities in Atlanta, Georgia, between 2002 and 2015, covering periods both before and after the crisis. Although the amount of research expenditure has continued to increase in the three universities after the crisis, the efficiency of research funding has declined. The results argue that the approach undertaken by governments and universities after the crisis has been partial and too narrowly focused on the financial terms of research to take into consideration many relevant factors constraining research performance of academics.

Automated summary

The economic and financial crisis between 2008 and 2013 led universities to reconsider their funding allocations. While some universities were able to increase their research expenditure during this period of budget constraints, the efficiency of research funding declined. Governments and universities focused too narrowly on the financial terms of research and neglected other factors affecting academic research performance.