Darrell R. Lewis

DETERMINANTS OF RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

As research expenditures have risen and assources of research funding have changed, an increasedemphasis on research performance has developed in U.S.research universities. Although much of the historical debate has centered around the individualattributes of faculty, several recent studies have begunto focus on the effect of program or organizationalfactors as powerful attributes for enhancing suchproductivity. This paper extends the findings of these recentstudies by examining the relationship between academicresearch productivity and institutional factors from themost recent National Research Council data on the nations research universities and theirprograms in the four broad fields of the biologicalsciences, engineering, the physical sciences andmathematics, and the social and behavioral sciences. Several findings are recommended forinstitutional policymakers.

Departmental Productivity in American Universities: Economies of Scale and Scope

Abstract The study reported in this paper examines the departmental production and cost structures of a homogeneous sample of American public research universities in order to estimate their degrees of economies of scale and scope. Multiproduct cost functions are estimated for the departmental production of teaching and research in order to determine the most efficient level and product-mix for differing types of departments. Three clusters of departmental fields (i.e., the social, physical, and engineering sciences) are examined across 18 similar public research universities through the use of a four-output (i.e., undergraduate teaching, master level training, doctorate level instruction, and research productivity) quadratic cost function. At the department level, both ray- and product-specific economies of scale and global and product-specific economies of scope are estimated at differing levels for all outputs.

Higher education and economic growth

Preface. 1. Preview of Higher Education and Economic Growth W.E. Becker, D.R. Lewis. 2. Higher Education and Economic Growth S.A. Hoenack. 3. Higher Education, Economic Growth, and Earnings J. Pencavel. 4. Is Public Education Productive? D.A. Aschauer. 5. The Contribution of Higher Education to R & D and Productivity Growth W.M. McMahon. 6. The Effects of Higher Education on Unemployment Rates W.J. Howe. 7. Quality of Higher Education and Economic Growth in the United States L.C. Solmon, C.L. Fagnano. 8. Higher Education, Business Creation, and Economic Growth in the American States B.D. Jones, A. Vedlitz. Index.

Is Supported Employment Cost-Effective in Minnesota?

This paper reports on the application of a benefit-cost accounting framework to evaluate the economic outcomes of supported employment in Minnesota. Data were collected on the costs and economic outcomes of 1,892 individuals being served in 11 supported-employment agencies offering programs in habilitation training, on-site employment, and community-based group and individual supported employment. From these data net benefits and benefit-cost ratios were estimated to explain possible efficiency effects resulting from the programs. The results reported in this study generally support the policy assertion that supported-employment programs yield financial benefits for society and taxpayers, as well as individuals with disabilities.

Equity, quality and efficiency effects of reform in Turkish higher education

This paper summarizes the major findings of recent studies dealing with the equity, quality, and internal efficiency effects of higher education reform in Turkey. It uses these findings to examine whether public policies formulated by the central government in 1982, in fact made progress on their intended purposes. Such information should assist policy makers in Turkey to better understand tradeoffs in terms of costs and outcomes between equity policies and points of quality and internal efficiency.

Economies of Scale and Scope in Turkish Universities

The study reported in this paper examines the collegiate production and cost structures of the entire population of 28 universities in Turkey in order to estimate their degrees of economies of scale and scope. Multi-product cost functions are used to determine the most efficient level and product mix for differing types of colleges and for each individual university in Turkey. Three clusters of collegiate fields (i.e. the social, health and engineering sciences) are examined across 186 college faculties within 28 universities through the use of a four-output (i.e. undergraduate teaching, master and dactoral graduate levels of instruction and research productivity) quadratic cost function. At the collegiate level, both ray and product-specific econoies of scale and economies of scope are estimated. Estimates are given as to the most efficient level and mix of all outputs. The findings should help policy-makers in Turkey to determine whether some higher education institutions cad reap efficiences by an expa...

Efficiency and Equity Effects of Vocationally Focused Postsecondary Education

Two rationales have been used to support governmental funding of postsecondary vocational education: an efficiency rationale and an equity rationale. Research on the effects of this public investment, and thus on the defensibility of these rationales, has often been hampered by inadequate data and other limitations. The analysis presented in this article used the nationally representative High School and Beyond data set to investigate the distinctive role of postsecondary vocational education in affecting the earnings, employment, and socioeconomic mobility of the nations high school graduates of 1980. The results suggest that postsecondary vocational education does, indeed, have significant positive effects on individual economic outcomes, but those effects are not found among all who are targeted by the equity rationale. In particular, men from lower socioeconomic backgrounds do not appear to benefit appreciably. The analysis, however, provides striking support for the equity rationale as it applies to women.

Cost and Effectiveness Considerations in the Use of Computer-Assisted Instruction in Economics

The authors review the literature in economics and in other fields dealing with the effectiveness and costs of computer-assisted instruction. Economics appears to be lagging behind other disciplines in the application of this technology to its teaching responsibilities. This is somewhat surprising because economists supposedly enjoy some comparative advantages over others in investigations concerning productivity and efficiency.

A Training System for Graduate Student Instructors of Introductory Economics at the University of Minnesota.

Lewis and Orvis report on a systematic teacher training program for Graduate Student Instructors involving an integrated series of student evaluations, videotaped lecture observations and instructional seminars. This program when evaluated showed a significant and measurable impact on both student and instructor performances in the classroom.

The Test of Understanding in College Economics and its Construct Validity.

The TUCE itself is the subject of this research project reported by Lewis and Dahl. The TUCE is examined in terms of its ability to discriminate between good students and poor students, whether its subparts do indeed measure different things, and to what extent the subparts are associated with critical thinking skills as measured by the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Their findings should help to make the TUCE a more useful instrument of diagnosis and evaluation for other researchers in economic education.