Assessing the research efficiency of higher education institutions in Chile

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the research efficiency of the Chilean higher education institutions (HEIs). As it has been argued in the literature, universities in Chile are far from being considered research-oriented institutions. Current governmental reforms have put pressures on the efficient use of public resources, especially, public expenditures in higher education. In response, the proposed data-driven approach can be used to inform educational managers and policy makers about research efficiency. Therefore, a better allocation of the scarce educational resources can be achieved. Design/methodology/approach – Data envelopment analysis is used to assess the research efficiency of a set of Chilean universities. Four models are proposed based on different parameters to cover various drivers of the research productivity. Findings – The paper provides evidence that only a few universities in Chile are efficient in regards to research. Moreover, interesting results in terms of the differences in efficiency between traditional universities and private universities were found. Universities with a mixed-funding structure (private traditional) are more efficient than both public and purely private universities. Additionally, universities that receive direct funds from the government are on average 3.3 times more efficient than private universities. According to the models, only one private university appeared at the top 10 based on the research efficiency ranking. Practical implications – Current pressures in the funding structures of the higher education system have led to an increased awareness in the utilization of resources. The results provided in this study are useful for guiding a better allocation of public resources and providing insights about efficient funding structures. Originality/value – An understanding of the current status of research efficiency and the identification of the best performers allows educational managers to improve their resource allocation processes.

Systematic review of research on educational leadership and management in Latin America, 1991–2017

“…This ratio of Levels I/II to Levels III/IV tests contrasts sharply with results reported in other developing societies (Hallinger, 2017; Hallinger and Chen, 2015; Hallinger and Hammad, 2017), as well as the early EDLM literature in the USA (Bridges, 1982; Campbell, 1979; Campbell and Faber, 1961; Haller, 1979; Hallinger and Heck, 1996). This finding reaffirms the existence of regional expertise in advanced quantitative research (Cervini, 2009; Collado et al, 2015; Javier Murillo and Román, 2011; Martínez Abad and Chaparro Caso López, 2017; Muñoz, 2016; Muñoz et al, 2016; Shin et al, 2013; Troncoso et al, 2016; Valenzuela et al, 2016; Wilms and Somer, 2001).…”

“…Scholars have suggested that SESI maintains a rigorous standard of review with a focus on sophisticated quantitative research that is often beyond the reach of scholars in developing societies (Hallinger, 2017). The majority of the articles published in SESI were Chilean in origin and employed sophisticated quantitative analysis (Bellei et al, 2016; Collado et al, 2015; Elaqua et al, 2011, 2016; Fromm et al, 2016; Munoz, 2016; Troncoso et al, 2016; Valenzuela et al, 2016). This pattern of journal publication strengthens the impression that significant research capacity does exist in Latin America, though it may not be broadly or evenly distributed.…”

Perceptions about accreditation and quality management in Higher Education. Development of a Spanish-language questionnaire with a sample of academics from a private university

“…4) The study was conducted in a private Chilean University, and it is necessary to replicate these findings including other types of higher education settings (e.g. technical, public or traditional universities), considering the differences between public and private institutions reported by literature (Muñoz, 2016). 5) A vast majority of the previous research, identified during our literature review, derives from doctoral studies.…”

Sustainability in Chinese Higher Educational Institutions’ Social Science Research: A Performance Interface toward Efficiency

“…Table 6 shows the detailed system and stage efficiencies of each DMU obtained from Models (4)- (14). The values in the last three rows of Table 6 are the average efficiencies and MPIs of the 18 HEIs for the three years.…”