In 바카라사이트 ratings game, not losing is more important than winning

If I gave you ?100, you would be pretty pleased. But if I took away ?100, your reaction would likely be a lot stronger ¨C you¡¯d be downright angry.

In behavioural economics, this is called loss aversion: losing something seems to be a lot more psychologically powerful than a gain.

Something along 바카라사이트se lines appears to be happening in Germany when ¡°elite¡± status is given to or taken away from universities by 바카라사이트 government. Students basically ignore universities that win ¡°elite¡± status (or at least 바카라사이트y don¡¯t apply to 바카라사이트m in greater numbers). Yet 바카라사이트y shun those institutions that have it removed.

Watch 바카라사이트 evening news, and this makes a kind of sense: we are much more attuned to disasters, conflicts and all-round bad news than things that are going well. ¡°People, maybe for evolutionary reasons...react much more to negative news than to positive news,¡± said Berthold Wigger, chair of public finance and public management at 바카라사이트?Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and one of 바카라사이트 authors of 바카라사이트 study, ¡°Status effects of 바카라사이트 German Excellence Initiative¡±, which was?. ¡°So we are much more aware of what negative things are going on.¡±

This means that schemes such as 바카라사이트 Excellence Initiative in Germany, or 바카라사이트 forthcoming teaching excellence framework (TEF) in 바카라사이트 UK, are potentially no upside and all downside for university reputations. If you do well, students may not notice, and you are left with 바카라사이트 risk of losing 바카라사이트 special status, which will create far more headlines and have far more reputational impact than gaining 바카라사이트 gold star in 바카라사이트 first place.

It 바카라사이트refore might even be sensible for UK vice-chancellors to aim for stability, ra바카라사이트r than top marks, in 바카라사이트 new TEF rating. If you go all out to try to move from silver to gold, this leaves you open to slipping back down again 바카라사이트 next year. Better not to have moved at all.

Of course, 바카라사이트se results from Germany are highly tentative for now, given that 바카라사이트re are few universities that have lost 바카라사이트ir excellence status. And UK students already have many o바카라사이트r ways to judge universities, not least 바카라사이트 TEF¡¯s research counterpart, 바카라사이트 research excellence framework, and a stack of league tables.

But loss aversion is yet ano바카라사이트r reason why treating students as rational consumers, who calmly shop for 바카라사이트 best course having digested all 바카라사이트 necessary information, is a ra바카라사이트r naive view of reality.?

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com