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Approaching effects of the economic crisis on university efficiency: A comparative study of Germany and Italy

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  • Lehmann, Erik E.
  • Meoli, Michele
  • Paleari, Stefano
  • Stockinger, Sarah A. E.

Abstract

In this paper, we compare the efficiency of the Italian and German universities in the process of transforming public funding into the multiple outputs of a university, i.e. graduating students, publishing research, and patenting activity. We do this with a particular focus on the policies implemented following the financial crisis in 2008. Using a sample of 133 public universities, of which 73 public universities in Germany and 60 public universities in Italy observed over the period 2006-2011 we find that Italian universities perform significantly better in terms of output maximization than German universities. The crisis does not show a general impact, while the treatment effect indicates that Italian universities coped better during the crisis than their German counterparts at a highly significant level.

Suggested Citation

  • Lehmann, Erik E. & Meoli, Michele & Paleari, Stefano & Stockinger, Sarah A. E., 2017. "Approaching effects of the economic crisis on university efficiency: A comparative study of Germany and Italy," UO Working Papers 08-17, University of Augsburg, Chair of Management and Organization.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:auguow:0817
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    3. Cantner, Uwe & Grashof, Nils & Grebel, Thomas & Zhang, Xijie, 2023. "When Excellence is not Excellent: The Impact of the Excellence Initiative on the Relative Productivity of German Universities," MPRA Paper 118139, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Rim Lahmandi‐Ayed & Hejer Lasram & Didier Laussel, 2021. "Is partial privatization of universities a solution for higher education?," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 23(6), pages 1174-1198, December.
    5. Rim Lahmandi-Ayed & Hejer Lasram & Didier Laussel, 2020. "Is partial privatization of universities a solution for higher education? A successive monopolies model," Working Papers hal-02988323, HAL.
    6. Uwe Cantner & Nils Grashof & Thomas Grebel & Anna Kosmützky & Georg Krücken & Xijie Zhang, 2023. "Competitive positioning of German Universities: Deliberate Decision, Fate, or Fiction?," Jena Economics Research Papers 2023-012, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    7. Civera, Alice & Lehmann, Erik E. & Paleari, Stefano & Stockinger, Sarah A.E., 2020. "Higher education policy: Why hope for quality when rewarding quantity?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(8).
    8. Erik Lehmann & Stefano Paleari & Enrico Santarelli & Silvio Vismara, 2018. "Editorial note: special issue on comparative entrepreneurship," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 8(1), pages 33-35, March.
    9. Samira Foladi & Maghsud Solimanpur & Mustafa Jahangoshai Rezaee, 2020. "Inverse Dynamic Data Envelopment Analysis for Evaluating Faculties of University with Quasi-Fixed Inputs," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 323-347, February.
    10. Guido Capaldo & Vincenza Capone & Jolanta Babiak & Beata Bajcar & Dorota Kuchta, 2021. "Efficacy Beliefs, Empowering Leadership, and Project Success in Public Research Centers: An Italian–Polish Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-19, June.
    11. Martínez-Campillo, Almudena & Fernández-Santos, Yolanda, 2020. "The impact of the economic crisis on the (in)efficiency of public Higher Education institutions in Southern Europe: The case of Spanish universities," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    higher education; economic crisis; governance; data envelopment analysis; scale efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H12 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Crisis Management
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • N30 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - General, International, or Comparative

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