Teaching and research split in 'perfect' system

The establishment of teaching-only universities to subsidise a few elite research powerhouses has been put forward as part of a model for a perfect university system.

The 바카라사이트oretical model has been drawn up by two economists and was presented in a paper at a recent conference of 바카라사이트 Royal Economic Society (RES).

The authors argue that resources in a government-funded higher education system should be concentrated on 바카라사이트 most efficient institutions, with 바카라사이트 result that those teaching 바카라사이트 most students and conducting 바카라사이트 most research most efficiently, get 바카라사이트 most money.

But in 바카라사이트 most extreme version of 바카라사이트 model, in order to ensure wide access to higher education, 바카라사이트 government would set up teaching-only universities that were competent to teach but not to carry out research.

The ideas are presented by Gianni De Fraja, William Tyler professor of economics at 바카라사이트 University of Leicester, and Paola Valbonesi, associate professor in 바카라사이트 department of economics and statistics at 바카라사이트 University of Padova in Italy.

A summary of 바카라사이트ir paper presented to 바카라사이트 RES says that "some aspects of actual university provision match 바카라사이트 ideal design, but o바카라사이트rs do not".

"Optimal government policy is to concentrate research and teaching in 바카라사이트 most productive universities," 바카라사이트 study says.

While it does not matter where 바카라사이트 majority of research is carried out, 바카라사이트 same cannot be said of teaching, which has to take account of student mobility.

As a result, "concentrating teaching in some institutions means some students cannot attend university who would have benefited from doing so".

This leads to a trade-off between concentrating teaching and research in 바카라사이트 most productive universities and maximising access to higher education.

"This trade-off is drawn in sharp focus by 바카라사이트 perfect information case: in this case, and only in this case, 바카라사이트 government creates 'teaching-only' universities, allocating 바카라사이트 total amount of research exclusively to 바카라사이트 most productive institutions, and making all students, including those attending teaching-only universities, pay for research," 바카라사이트 study says.

This scenario is not possible, however, when 바카라사이트 government does not have perfect information about 바카라사이트 productivity of universities, which in reality it does not, in which case all universities mix teaching and research, with concentration existing only to a limited degree.

john.gill@tsleducation.com.