nep-sog 2009-08-30 papers

on Sociology of Economics

Issue of 2009‒08‒30
one paper chosen by
Jonas Holmström
Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration

Research Governance in Academia: Are there Alternatives to Academic Rankings? By Margit Osterloh; Bruno S. Frey

Research Governance in Academia: Are there Alternatives to Academic Rankings?

By:	Margit Osterloh; Bruno S. Frey
Abstract:	Peer reviews and rankings today are the backbone of research governance, but recently came under scrutiny. They take explicitly or implicitly agency theory as a theoretical basis. The emerging psychological economics opens a new perspective. As scholarly research is a mainly curiosity driven endeavor, we include intrinsic motivation and supportive feedback by the peers as important determinants of scholarly behavior. We discuss whether a stronger emphasis on selection and socialization offers an alternative to the present regime of academic rankings.
Keywords:	peer reviews; rankings; research governance; agency theory; psychological economics; new public management; economics of science; control theory
Date:	2009–07
URL:	http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cra:wpaper:2009-17&r=sog

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