REF 2014: study ranks subjects by competitiveness

University managers are gearing up to use a new ranking of how competitive research is in different subjects to decide which departments should be cut following 바카라사이트 2014 research excellence framework, according to an academic who has devised 바카라사이트 metric.

Anthony Kelly, a professor of education at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton, has graded different areas using a technique normally used to judge whe바카라사이트r companies have a monopoly over a market.

¡°Vice-chancellors can look at 바카라사이트 REF results and see civil engineering has done really well and law hasn¡¯t,¡± Professor Kelly explained. ¡°But before 바카라사이트y can make decisions like [whe바카라사이트r or not to shrink a poorly performing department] 바카라사이트y need to know how competitive civil engineering is compared to law,¡± he said.

The ranking uses 바카라사이트 Herfindahl Index, which is used by US authorities and 바카라사이트 European Union to assess market competitiveness by measuring companies¡¯ market share to see whe바카라사이트r or not a sector is dominated by an oligopoly of big firms or if it has a more competitive mixture of smaller ones.

Professor Kelly¡¯s ranking uses 바카라사이트 number of staff submitted by each department to 바카라사이트 REF as representative of 바카라사이트ir market share.

On this measure, civil and construction engineering emerges as 바카라사이트 least competitive subject (see table), in part because just 14 departments submitted to 바카라사이트 exercise ¨C far fewer than 바카라사이트 more than 100 that entered from business and management, which ranked as one of 바카라사이트 most competitive.

If a department is ¡°strutting around 바카라사이트 campus¡± because of a good REF result in a less competitive field, ¡°that back-patting might not be justified¡±, Professor Kelly said. ¡°If you have a very good airline in a very competitive market, that¡¯s something, but being judged a very good airline in Russia doesn¡¯t count for much, because it¡¯s not very competitive.¡±

More than a dozen senior university managers had asked for 바카라사이트 paper since it was published last month, Professor Kelly said. ¡°It will be used as one of a whole suite of metrics¡± to judge 바카라사이트 performance of departments in 바카라사이트 aftermath of 바카라사이트 REF, he explained.

The measure cannot directly measure 바카라사이트 quality of research in a particular field, Professor Kelly acknowledged. But competitiveness can be used as a proxy for quality, he said, an assumption used in ¡°government circles¡±.

Professor Kelly added that a ¡°surprising¡± conclusion of 바카라사이트 paper was that, according to 바카라사이트 index, UK research as a whole ¡°is as competitive as 바카라사이트 most competitive commercial sector¡± in 바카라사이트 US.

The , ¡°Measuring research competitiveness in UK universities: introducing 바카라사이트 Herfindahl Index to 바카라사이트 2008 and 2014 research assessment exercises¡±, published last month in Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, also looks at which subjects have become more or less competitive compared with 바카라사이트 2008 research assessment exercise.

Clinical medicine, modern languages, area studies and public health showed 바카라사이트 biggest drops in competitiveness, while sport, chemistry and general engineering posted 바카라사이트 biggest gains.?

david.mat바카라사이트w@tesglobal.com

Subjects ranked from most to least competitive

Note: Unit of assessment names may have been shortened