Scale economies in academic excellence: An exploratory analysis of the United Kingdom's 1992 research selectivity exercise

Abstract

Taken in aggregate, bigger university departments did disproportionately well in the 1992 U.K. Higher Education Research Selectivity Exercise (RSE). A number of reasons are reviewed whereby such an ‘economies of scale’ effect might apply both in general and with respect to the RSE. A methodology is developed whereby the RSE performance of the UK's universities across academic units can be attributed to ‘size’ and ‘non size’ components, the relative importance of which are then calculated for each of the ‘old’ universities, paying attention to their independent designations as ‘research’ and ‘teaching’ institutions. Possible implications for academic planning by universities are drawn out.