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on Sociology of Economics |
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Issue of 2008‒09‒20
five papers chosen by Jonas Holmström Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration |
| By: | KimMarie McGoldrick; Gail Hoyt; Dave Colander |
| Abstract: | This paper provides insight into the skill development activities of graduate students at U.S. institutions providing graduate education in economics. It documents the extent of student participation in and preparation for research and teaching activities while in graduate school. Over fifty percent of students are involved in teaching related activities including grading, leading recitation sections, and teaching their own sections with and without guidance. Most were generally satisfied with their preparation. About fifty-five percent of graduate students attend economic conferences, twenty percent present papers, twenty-two percent submit papers and ten percent have published. Important differences by assistantship assignments, institutional rank, and gender in such activities are highlighted. Findings suggest that programs could do more to prepare students for participation in professional activities post graduation. |
| Date: | 2008–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mdl:mdlpap:0811&r=sog |
| By: | Dave Colander; KimMarie McGoldrick |
| Date: | 2008–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mdl:mdlpap:0812&r=sog |
| By: | Steven Jones; Eric Hoest; Richie Fuld; Mahesh Dahal; Dave Colander |
| Date: | 2008–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mdl:mdlpap:0810&r=sog |
| By: | Geschwind, Lars (SISTER); Larsson, Karin (SISTER) |
| Abstract: | Across Europe new forms of research funding and management arrangements are established. European higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly facing global competition and they are responsive to many stakeholders. As a consequence of more deregulated HE systems, performance based funding, strategic management and more extensive evaluation and follow up-systems have replaced the former state directed systems. Currently, also the Swedish HE sector is in a time of change. A number of state inquiries have reviewed the Swedish HE research landscape, including the resource allocation system and the academic career system. The implications of these inquiries have the potential to restructure the entire sector. Some of the issues will be presented in a government bill this fall, while other reforms are further ahead. The phase we study could thus be described as a pre-reform or policy formation phase. This paper explores research strategies in the Humanities at a selection of Swedish HEIs. The aim of the paper can be articulated in one straightforward question: in a period of pre-reform, which strategies are used by ten Swedish HEIs to increase research quality in the Humanities? The methodology used is primarily qualitative, including email enquiry, interviews and documentary studies on ten Swedish Universities which are the main producers of Humanities research in Sweden. |
| Keywords: | higher education institutions; university strategy |
| JEL: | I21 I23 |
| Date: | 2008–09–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0140&r=sog |
| By: | Deiaco, Enrico (SISTER); Homén, Magnus (Chalmers Institute of Technology); McKelvey, Maureen (Chalmers Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: | This article addresses the issue of how and why European universities are learning to compete, in a situation where the national institutional context and sectoral conditions are undergoing transformation. European universities – from top leaders, faculties, research groups and individual employees – are increasingly forced to explain to many stakeholders about how, whether, and why their scientific knowledge and educational programmes are relevant to society or not. For example, if universities are not contributing to public and private goods, why should society continue providing resources? Why should students pay for education, if the individual returns are too low? Why should companies and private foundations pay for research, if the results are not directly relevant to their goals? How can the efficiency and productivity of the university be improved – and which metrics can be used to demonstrate that those goals have been met? What are the dilemmas and trade-offs that this new competitive regime imposes on the functioning of universities and of society? These are the types of questions currently raised within universities in Continental Europe and Nordic countries, and ones that university leaders, faculty and staff will have to answer. Or else, they should raise new types of questions and perspectives about the role of the university in society.universities now face clear demands of producing immediately usefulness knowledge to students, businesses and society (enhanced amongst other by the Bologna process). The pressures on the university to quickly respond to societal and industrial demands have been more forcefully articulated in recent years. If these organizations wish to retain the traditional values of scholarship, they will need to do so, in parallel with understanding – and changing – their selection environment in the future. We focus upon the competition aspect from a Schumpeterian view, in order to draw out the logical conclusions but we do not focus upon whether those outcomes are desirable or negative. We choose this focus because we know that universities play major roles in the knowledge society, and current debates within the EU indicate that we will see additional major changes in the national institutional context and global markets. The article turns to more abstract questions, such as whether competition exists amongst universities and if so, what are the major trends and future outcomes of this shift from a social institution to a knowledge business. Thus, do universities really compete? And if so, how do they compete? And over what? |
| Keywords: | universities; competition |
| JEL: | I21 I23 |
| Date: | 2008–09–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0139&r=sog |