Ana García de Fanelli

Quality Assurance and Public Policy Research Funding

This chapter examines the institutional framework and the incentive structure that developed as a consequence of quality assurance and government research funding policies. It also analyzes the way these policies have influenced the current functioning and configuration of the private university sector in Argentina.

International Partnerships for Collaborative Research in Argentinian Universities

This chapter analyzes the motivations behind North-South collaboration, as well as facilitators and obstacles. Through a case study approach, two specific cases focus on research units at public and private Argentinian universities with established North-South research partnerships. General conclusions indicate that international scientific cooperation between the two hemispheres has proven fruitful for the parties involved in these agreements; however, what triggers and grounds the association differs by case. Following a series of interviews and document analysis, findings show that while personal links generally dominate in their importance, state support is critical for sustainability. Difficulties that generate disincentives for maintaining longer-term partnerships are related primarily to internal, bureaucratic problems and external factors such as overall economic instability affecting both developed and developing countries.

The Contract-Programs in Universities: Lessons from the International Comparison

In 2005, the Ministry of Education of Argentina launched a new policy to allocate public funds to national universities: the contractualization policy. Its purpose is to allocate funds to improve teaching quality based on an institutional plan defined by each university. It is expected that this plan addresses the main weaknesses detected during the external assessment coordinated by the National Committee of University Assessment and Accrediting (CONEAU). This paper presents the main findings of a research project carried out to help in the design of this contractualization policy. The two most important antecedents, the French and the Catalonian cases, are examined through the study of official documents, on-site observation of the French negotiation processes, and interviews with government and university key officials. The study concludes with the main lessons learned from these experiences and shows that this mechanism has clear advantages when aligning the strategic objectives that the government and universities have, in order to improve university quality.