Governance and Performance in the German Public Research Sector

Today, higher education and research institutions are confronted with variable and sometimes contradictory demands from state, industry and society. They have to face growing volatility in education policy, and a research paradigm that sees an accelerating rate of knowledge growth as well as the internationalization of the knowledge process itself. It is vital that academics and policymakers stay abreast of the impact that policy changes have on education and research in tertiary institutions. Based on a sector-specific theory model for the governance of research organizations, this book outlines evidence of the effects of the so-called 'new public management reforms' in the German university and public research sector. The volume aims to shed some light on the differences between the disciplines in input, throughput, profiles of output and the typical conditions of knowledge production, disparities that are currently little understood and are thus not reflected in government policy asministers implement new governance forms in the research system. It analyzes in detail these new forms, and demonstrates how they affect knowledge production and research performance from the level of research group up to that of the system itself. The authors focus on a set of disciplines that represent the breadth of research divisions in major universities: natural science fields oriented to basic research (astrophysics), two application-oriented fields from the natural sciences (nanoscience and biotechnology), a social science field (economics) and a humanity field (medieval history).

Zusammenfassung
2007b: 115 ff.; Jansen 2007c: 236 ff.). Governance patterns here means a chain of interconnected mechanisms which can be observed empirically. Governance p- terns can be roughly de?ned as complex regulatory structures coordinating the actions of interdependent actors. Governance patterns can relate to hierarchical as well as to lateral coordination mechanisms. Enforcement can be based on law, p- fessional norms or informal and implicit norms or customs. Moreover, the regulatory structures or individual mechanisms inside them can be established and sanctioned by public as well as by private actors. There is in fact not necessarily an actor in charge of controlling outcomes as for instance in market competition. In the next section, I will introduce the reader to the changing role of the state in science policy. The third section presents the governance model for the p- lic research sector which was developed by the research group and underlies the 1 contributions in this anthology. The ?nal section gives an overview of the papers.

Inhalt

Effects of Science Law and Science Policy on Performance.- New Public ManagementNew Public Management in Science and Incentive-Compatible Resource-Allocation Based on Indicators.- Disciplinary Differences from a Legal Perspective.- New Governance of Research and Effects on Performance.- Is Nanoscience a Mode 2Mode 2 Field? Disciplinary Differences in Modes of Knowledge Productionmodes of knowledge production .- Effects of New Governancegovernance on Research in the Humanitieshumanities - The Example of Medieval Historymedieval history .- New Governance of PhD Education and Effects on Performance.- The Performance of German Research Training Groups in Different Disciplinary Fields - An Empirical Assessment.- Success and Failure of PhD Programmes: An Empirical Study of the Interplay Between Interests, Resources and Organisation.- Erratum to: Governance and Performance in the German Public Research Sector.