nep-sog New Economics Papers
on Sociology of Economics
Issue of 2011‒12‒19
three papers chosen by
Jonas Holmström
Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration

  1. Measuring Personal Networks And Their Relationship With Scientific Production By Villanueva-Felez, Africa; Molas-Gallart, Jordi; Escribá Esteve, Alejandro
  2. Performance-related Funding of Universities – Does more Competition Lead to Grade Inflation? By Thomas K. Bauer; Barbara S. Grave
  3. Liberté et responsabilité des universités : Comment le contrôle de gestion participe à la construction d'un système de pilotage de la performance ? By Anne Riviere; Marie Boitier

  1. By: Villanueva-Felez, Africa; Molas-Gallart, Jordi; Escribá Esteve, Alejandro
    Abstract: The analysis of social networks has remained a crucial and yet understudied aspect of the efforts to measure Triple Helix linkages. The Triple Helix model aims to explain, among other aspects of knowledge-based societies, ?the current research system in its social context? (Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 2000:109). This paper develops a novel approach to study the research system from the perspective of the individual, through the analysis of the relationships among researchers, and between them and other social factors. We develop a new set of techniques and show how they can be applied to the study of a specific case (a group of academics within a university department). We analyse their informal social networks and show how a relationship exists between the characteristics of an individual?s network of social links and his or her research output.
    Keywords: embeddedness; academic network; research output
    JEL: L14 O17 O31 O32
    Date: 2011–12–14
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ing:wpaper:201111&r=sog
  2. By: Thomas K. Bauer; Barbara S. Grave
    Abstract: German universities are regarded as being under-financed, inefficient, and performing below average if compared to universities in other European countries and the US. Starting in the 1990s, several German federal states implemented reforms to improve this situation. An important part of these reforms has been the introduction of indicator-based funding systems. These financing systems aimed at increasing the competition between universities by making their public funds dependent on their relative performance concerning different output measures, such as the share of students obtaining a degree or the amount of third party funds. This paper evaluates whether the indicator-based funding created unintended incentives, i.e. whether the reform caused a grade inflation. Estimating mean as well as quantile treatment effects, we cannot support the hypothesis that increased competition between universities causes grade inflation.
    Keywords: Grade inflation; higher education funding; university competition
    JEL: H52 I21 I22
    Date: 2011–10
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rwi:repape:0288&r=sog
  3. By: Anne Riviere (Management Research Centre - ESC Toulouse); Marie Boitier (Management Research Centre - ESC Toulouse)
    Abstract: A partir d‟une analyse de la mise en oeuvre d‟un système de contrôle de gestion (SCG) formel dans l‟enseignement supérieur en France, cet article rend compte des éléments qui participent à la structuration de systèmes de pilotage de la performance (SPP) aux niveaux global et organisationnel. Mobilisant un cadre conceptuel issu de la théorie néo institutionnelle sociologique, notre étude de terrain longitudinale nous permet de rendre compte de mécanismes de structuration multi-niveaux, mettant en jeu des interactions de nature cognitive, politique ou normative, qui conduisent à ce stade à différentes formes de SPP non encore stabilisées.
    Keywords: Système de contrôle de gestion ; universités ; budget ; management public
    Date: 2011
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00650567&r=sog

This nep-sog issue is ©2011 by Jonas Holmström. It is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. It may be freely redistributed in whole or in part for any purpose. If distributed in part, please include this notice.
General information on the NEP project can be found at http://nep.repec.org. For comments please write to the director of NEP, Marco Novarese at <director@nep.repec.org>. Put “NEP” in the subject, otherwise your mail may be rejected.
NEP’s infrastructure is sponsored by the School of Economics and Finance of Massey University in New Zealand.