Investing in Excellence? The Performance-Based Research Fund and its Implications for Political Science Departments in New Zealand

Political Science

Volumn 55, Issue 1, 2003, Pages 39-53

  Goldfinch, Shaun ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY   (New Zealand)

Author keywords

Performance based research funding; Political science; Tertiary education

Indexed keywords

EID: 0141705165     PISSN: 00323187     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/003231870305500104     Document Type: Article

References (43)

1. Steve Maharey, 'Research excellence gets another boost - total spending up by over $200 million' Press release. 4 December (2002). At web cite: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.cfm?Document ID=15635.
2. EFTS based-funding publicly funds tertiary providers on the basis of student numbers. These student numbers are weighted according to the amount of research in the course of study (i.e. research degrees are funded at a higher level than undergraduate degrees or diplomas), and the cost rating of the discipline (i.e. students undertaking higher cost degrees are funded at a higher level). The 'research top-up' is that part of EFTS funding supposedly included to fund research.
3. Jonathon Boston, 'Evaluating the Tertiary Advisory Commission: An Insider's Perspective' (2002).
4. Tertiary Advisory Education Commission (TEAC), Shaping the Funding Framework. Fourth Report of the Tertiary Advisory Education Commission, November (Wellington, 2001).
5. Performance-Based Research Fund Working Group (PBRFWG), Investing in Excellence. The Report of the Performance-Based Research Fund Working Group (Wellington, 2002).
6. E-mail from TEC, 14 March.
7. Tertiary Education Commission. "Media Release. Panel Chairs Appointed for the Performance-Based Research Fund Peer Review Panels. 25 February" (2003).
8. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund Review Panels. Panel Profile Information Revised Consultation Draft. 10 January" (2003). There is, I suspect, a misprint, where it should specify the number of members representing political science and its sub-disciplines.
9. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund -Quality Evaluation. Staff Participation Guidelines for Consultation. 10 January" (2003).
10. PBRFWG, Investing in Excellence, p. 14. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund - Quality Evaluation. Draft Assessment Guide for Consultation. 21 February." (2003).
11. PBRFWG, Investing in Excellence, p. 14. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund - Quality Evaluation. Draft Assessment Guide for Consultation. 21 February." (2003).
12. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund - Quality Evaluation. Research Output, Peer Esteem and Contribution to the Research Environment Guidelines".
13. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund -Quality Evaluation. Draft Assessment Guide for Consultation. 21 February."
14. At less than 200, the quality ranking would be D; 200-399 = C; 400-599 =B; and 600 -700 = A.
15. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund -Quality Evaluation. Draft Assessment Guide for Consultation. 21 February, " p. 12.
16. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund -Quality Evaluation. Draft Assessment Guide for Consultation. 21 February" (2003), p. 2.
17. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund - Quality Evaluation. Research Output, Peer Esteem and Contribution to the Research Environment Guidelines. Draft. 21 February" (2003).
18. Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund - Quality Evaluation. Research Output, Peer Esteem and Contribution to the Research Environment Guidelines", p. 7.
19. TEAC, Shaping the Funding Framework, p. 97. The Government's funding for Centres of Research Excellence is another important source. In the 2001/02 Budget, this consisted of operational funding of $2 million (2001/02), $10.225 million (2002/03), $12.475 million (2003/04), and $13.600 million ongoing. A contingency fund of $20 million for capital expenditure was also established. In the 2002/03 budget, additional operational funding of $5.5 million (2002/03), $10 million (2003/04) and $11 million, all ongoing, was made available. A further provision for $20 million for capital expenditure was also approved. The Royal Society of New Zealand, "The Centres of Research Excellence Fund' (2003). Available at http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/funding/core/corefund.php.
20. TEAC, Shaping the Funding Framework, p. 97. The Government's funding for Centres of Research Excellence is another important source. In the 2001/02 Budget, this consisted of operational funding of $2 million (2001/02), $10.225 million (2002/03), $12.475 million (2003/04), and $13.600 million ongoing. A contingency fund of $20 million for capital expenditure was also established. In the 2002/03 budget, additional operational funding of $5.5 million (2002/03), $10 million (2003/04) and $11 million, all ongoing, was made available. A further provision for $20 million for capital expenditure was also approved. The Royal Society of New Zealand, "The Centres of Research Excellence Fund' (2003). Available at http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/funding/core/corefund.php.
21. Funding for the quality component is as follows: ? [(base funding unit) X (numerical quality score of researcher) X (FTE status of researcher) X (cost weighting for subject)]. The base funding unit is derived as follows: total amount of funding/? [(numerical quality score of researcher) X (FTE status of researcher) X (cost weighting for subject)].
22. Funding for research degrees will be caculated as follows: ?[(base funding unit) X (volume of research in the programme) X (subject cost weighting)]. The 'base funding unit' is derived as follows: ?[number of research degree completions] X (volume of research in programme) X (subject cost weighting)]. Volume in this case is calculated in terms of the EFTS value -with a masters thesis component with an EFTS value of 1 weighted at 1, and a doctorate with thesis at 3.
23. The rolling average for external monies is to be 'calculated using a 50% weighting for the previous year, 35 percent for the year prior to that and 15% for...the year before that.' Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance- Based Research Fund - Quality Evaluation. External Research Income Consultation Draft. 7 March" (2003), p. 8. For degree completion, this rolling average will be phased in gradually, with 2002 completions determining funding for 2004. See Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund - Postgraduate Research Degree Completion Measure. Draft Guidelines for Tertiary Education Organisations. 7 March" (2003).
24. The rolling average for external monies is to be 'calculated using a 50% weighting for the previous year, 35 percent for the year prior to that and 15% for...the year before that.' Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance- Based Research Fund - Quality Evaluation. External Research Income Consultation Draft. 7 March" (2003), p. 8. For degree completion, this rolling average will be phased in gradually, with 2002 completions determining funding for 2004. See Tertiary Education Commission. "Performance-Based Research Fund - Postgraduate Research Degree Completion Measure. Draft Guidelines for Tertiary Education Organisations. 7 March" (2003).
25. PBRFWG, Investing in Excellence, p. 17.
26. PBRFWG, Investing in Excellence, p. 18.
27. Ameen Ali Talib, 'The Research Assessment Exercise and motivation: A note on the difference in the impact of the active researchers and the non-active', Higher Education Review, Vol. 34 (2002), pp. 51-59.
28. To remove ambiguity over the refereed or 'quality assured' status of New Zealand edited collections, editors might also see in it their (and their contributors) interest to undergo some sort of formalised referee process when accepting submissions for edited collections, which may be a good thing in quality terms.
29. As textbooks will have to meet the definition of research given to be counted a research output, there will be a disincentive to produce them in New Zealand politics.
30. TEAC, Shaping the Funding Framework, p. 111. However Section 254 (3a) of the Education Act 1989 that requires a degree to be 'taught mainly by people engaged in research' remains unamended under the Education (Tertiary Reform) Amendment Act 2002.
31. K. A. Feldman, 'Research productivity and scholarly accomplishment of college teachers as related to their instructional effectiveness: a review and exploration,' Research in Higher Education, Vol. 26 (1987), pp. 227- 298.
32. J. A. Centra, 'Research productivity and learning effectiveness,' Research in Higher Education, Vol. 18 (1983), pp. 379-389.
33. P. Ramsden and I. Moses, 'Associations between research and teaching in Australian Higher Education, Higher Education, Vol. 23, (1992), pp. 273-295.
34. J. Hattie and H. W. Marsh, 'The relationship between teaching and research: a meta-analysis, Review of Education Research, Vol. 66, (1996), pp. 507-452.
35. Robert Lindsay, Rosanna Breen and Alan Jenkins, 'Academic Research and Teaching Quality: the view of undergraduate and postgraduate students, Studies in Higher Education, Vol 27 (2002), pp. 321.
36. Lindsay et al, 'Academic Research and Teaching Quality: the view of undergraduate and postgraduate students', p. 322.
37. Kelly Coate, Ronald Barnett and Gareth Williams, 'Relationship Between Teaching and Research in Higher Education in England.' Higher Education Quarterly, Vol. 55, (2001), pp. 158-174.
38. Taylor, 'The Impact of Performance Indicators on the Work of Australian Academics: Evidence from Australian Universities'.
39. TEAC, Shaping the Funding Framework, p. 109. TEAC also argued that only units ranked at 2.5 out of a possible 5 should be allowed to offer postgraduate education.
40. Taylor, 'The Impact of Performance Indicators on the Work of Australian Academics: Evidence from Australian Universities'.
41. Shaun Goldfinch and Paul Bellamy, 'The Performance of Public Science: A Research Assessment of the Crown Research Institutes of New Zealand Using Bibliometric Measures,' The Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Management Vol. 7, (2001), pp. 5-20. 39
42. Shaun Goldfinch, Tony Dale and Karl DeRouen, 'Science from the periphery: Publication, Collaboration and 'Periphery Effects' in the Citation of New Zealand Crown Research Institutes Articles 1995-2000' Scientometrics, Volum 57 (2003), pp.321-337.
43. It should be noted that political science departments are weighted as low-cost research centres, and while this will not affect the matching of external monies, it will impact on the money gained from graduate completions and quality ratings in relative terms compared to research units with higher weightings.