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https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.44.2019.2.247-269
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"Pay for Promise" in Higher Education: the Influence of NPM on Resource Allocation in German Universities
'Bezahlung für Versprechen' im Hochschulwesen: der Einfluss des NPM auf die Ressourcenverteilung in deutschen Universitäten
[journal article]
Abstract Quantification as a way to govern by numbers has colonised all sectors of modern societies. In the German higher education sector, a Performance-Based Resource Allocation scheme (commonly referred to as Leistungsorientierte Mittelverteilung - LOM for short) has steadily been developed since the 1990... view more
Quantification as a way to govern by numbers has colonised all sectors of modern societies. In the German higher education sector, a Performance-Based Resource Allocation scheme (commonly referred to as Leistungsorientierte Mittelverteilung - LOM for short) has steadily been developed since the 1990s. In an organisational context characterised by increasing international competition and internal differentiation, universities and their regulators have embraced the notion of smart resource allocation through performance indicators. At the same time, the sector has historically been characterised by a traditional cameralistic resource allocation mechanism, where the interactions between the main financiers (state governments), and beneficiaries (universities) were underpinned by a desire to ensure continuity and predictability. Based on empirical evidence, we outline how the university has transformed from a bureaucratic public service deliverer to an adaptable organisation that is supposed to learn from quantified information. This perspective allows for the discussion of quantification as a contemporary steering mechanism.... view less
Keywords
Federal Republic of Germany; university system; university; funding; competition; achievement; measurement; quantification; New Public Management; university administration; budget
Classification
University Education
Public Finance
Free Keywords
NPM; performance-based budgeting
Document language
English
Publication Year
2019
Page/Pages
p. 247-269
Journal
Historical Social Research, 44 (2019) 2
Issue topic
Governing by Numbers - Key Indicators and the Politics of Expectations
ISSN
0172-6404
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed