Do We Pay for Productivity? A Discussion of Policies to Encourage Academic Productivity in Colombia and Germany

Authors

  • Dina Sophie Fassbender Universidad Nacional de Colombia
  • John Silva Díaz Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Abstract

This article discusses the advantages, disadvantages, motivations and problems associated to the pay-for-performance system implemented in order to incentivize scientific productivity in institutions of higher education. Based on a theoretical analysis within the framework of the economics of science, we analyze the discussions generated in Colombia and Germany with respect to the teacher`s remuneration systems. For Colombia we find an initial reaction of protest in the academic community against the reform established by decree 1279 of 2002. Whereas some academics criticize the decree`s merchandizing function, others request a wider range of activities to be taken into account for the variable component of their salary. On the other hand, in the discussion in Germany predominate those teachers that demand a reversion of the system, underlining the problems associated to the measurement of scientific production and the crowding-out of intrinsic motivation by extrinsic incentives. Taking into account the possible adverse effects of the pay-for-performance systems and the functions of higher education in society, we encourage a more profound reflection about incentivization systems in particular and the concept of scientific productivity in general.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Biester, C., y Wagner, C. (2011). Die Einheit von Forschung und Lehre in der W-Besoldung: mboldtsche Ideale und die Stakeholder der Universität. Hochschulmanagement, 4. 64-69.

Crespi, G., y Geuna, A. (2004). The Productivity of Science. Recuperado de: http://www.cyberinet05.inet-tr.org.tr/inovasyon/crespiost2.pdf

Diamond, A. M. (2008). Economics of Science. En S. N. Durlauf & L. E. Blume (Eds.), The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (2nd ed.). doi:10.1057/9780230226203

Jaeger, M. (2009). Steuerung durch Anreizsysteme an Hochschulen: wie wirken formel gebundene Mittelverteilung und Zielverein barungen. En J. Bogumil, & R. Heinze (Eds.), Neue Steuerung von Hochschulen: eine Zwischenbilanz (pp 45-65). Berlin: Ed. Sigma.

Kieser, A. (2010). Unternehmen Wissenschaft? Leviathan, 38. 347-367.

Londoño, J. (2003). Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo del 1279 o la prueba ácida para el movimiento profesoral. Unipluriversidad, 3 (1). 98-99.

Misas, G. (2003). La universidad pública y los dogmas del pensamiento único. A propósito de la Resolución 244 y el Decreto 2912. Unipluriversidad, 3 (1). 17-19.

Misas, G. (2004). La educación superior en Colombia – Análisis y estrategias para su desarrollo. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Osterloh, M. y Frey, B. (2008). Anreize im Wissenschaftssystem. Working Paper. Recuperado de https://www.uzh.ch/iou/orga/ssl-dir/wiki/ uploads/Main/ Anreize_final_12.9.08.pdf

Pérez, M. (2013). Reforma al Decreto 1279 por la puerta de atrás. ¿Qué universidad queremos? 3. 7-34.

Rodríguez, J. (2008). Evaluación del Profesorado en Universidades Públicas. Una Aproximación a la Situación en Colombia. Revista Iberoamericana de Evaluación Educativa, 1 (3). 46-66.

Romer (1986) Increasing Returns and LongRun Growth. The Journal of Political Economy, 94(5). 1002-1037.

Rosenberg, N. (1982) Inside the Black Box: Technology and Economics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Salazar, B. (2003). Incentivos y educación superior. Unipluriveridad, 3(1). 72-75.

Smith, E. (2009). The Productivity of Science: An International Analysis Using PeerReviewed Publication Data. Inter-American Development Bank-Technical Notes, No. IDB-TN-129. Recuperado de http://publications.iadb.org/ bitstream/handle/11319/3705/ The%20Productivity%20of%20Science%3a%20 An%20International%20analysis%20using%20 peerreviewed%20publication%20data. pdf?sequence=1

Stephan, P. (1996). The Economics of Science. Journal of Economic Literature, 34(3), 1199-1235.

Stiglitz, J. E. (2008). Principal and Agent. En S. N. Durlauf & L. E. Blume (Eds.), The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (2nd ed.). doi:10.1057/9780230226203.1342

Downloads

Published

2014-06-20
Metrics
Views/Downloads
  • Abstract
    273
  • PDF (Español)
    136

How to Cite

Fassbender, D. S. ., & Silva Díaz, J. (2014). Do We Pay for Productivity? A Discussion of Policies to Encourage Academic Productivity in Colombia and Germany. Papeles, 6(11), 10–19. Retrieved from https://revistas.uan.edu.co/index.php/papeles/article/view/228

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 11 (2014)

Section

Artículos de Investigación

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Metrics