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Research-driven classification and ranking in higher education: an empirical appraisal of a Romanian policy experience

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  • Gabriel-Alexandru Vîiu

    (National School of Political and Administrative Studies)

  • Mihai Păunescu

    (National School of Political and Administrative Studies)

  • Adrian Miroiu

    (National School of Political and Administrative Studies)

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the problem of university classification and its relation to ranking practices in the policy context of an official evaluation of Romanian higher education institutions and their study programs. We first discuss the importance of research in the government-endorsed assessment process and analyze the evaluation methodology and the results it produced. Based on official documents and data we show that the Romanian classification of universities was implicitly hierarchical in its conception and therefore also produced hierarchical results due to its close association with the ranking of study programs and its heavy reliance on research outputs. Then, using a distinct dataset on the research performance of 1385 faculty members working in the fields of political science, sociology and marketing we further explore the differences between university categories. We find that our alternative assessment of research productivity—measured with the aid of Hirsch’s (Proc Natl Acad Sci 102(46):16569–16572, 2005) h-index and with Egghe’s (Scientometrics 69(1):131–152, 2006) g-index—only provides empirical support for a dichotomous classification of Romanian institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriel-Alexandru Vîiu & Mihai Păunescu & Adrian Miroiu, 2016. "Research-driven classification and ranking in higher education: an empirical appraisal of a Romanian policy experience," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 107(2), pages 785-805, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:107:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-016-1860-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-1860-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Claudiu Vasile Kifor & Ana Maria Benedek & Ioan Sîrbu & Roxana Florența Săvescu, 2023. "Institutional drivers of research productivity: a canonical multivariate analysis of Romanian public universities," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(4), pages 2233-2258, April.
    2. Gabriel-Alexandru Vîiu & Mihai Păunescu, 2021. "The citation impact of articles from which authors gained monetary rewards based on journal metrics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(6), pages 4941-4974, June.
    3. Rachida Aïssaoui & J. Michael Geringer & Grigorios Livanis, 2020. "International Collaboration and European Contributions to International Business Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(6), pages 827-868, December.
    4. Claudiu Vasile Kifor & Daniel Teodorescu & Tudorel Andrei & Roxana Săvescu, 2021. "Research Production and International Visibility in Higher Education: The Evolution of Romanian Universities from 2011 to 2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-18, December.

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