Do research universities specialize in disciplines where they hold a competitive advantage

Bibliographic Data

ID21442166
AuthorsGiovanni Abramo (0000-0003-0731-3635, Mercatorum University), Francesca Apponi (University of Rome Tor Vergata), Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo (0000-0002-6977-6611, University of Rome Tor Vergata, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume129
Issue9
Pages5453-5468
Publication date2024-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScientometrics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0138-9130 • E-ISSN: 1588-2861
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s11192-024-05136-7
OpenAlexW4402380131
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited34

Enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of national research systems is a top priority on the policy agendas of many countries. This study focuses on one aspect of the macroeconomic efficiency of research systems: whether research institutions specialize in scientific domains where they have a competitive advantage. To evaluate this, we developed a novel methodology. This methodology measures the scientific specialization indices of each organization in various research fields and assesses their relative research productivity. It then examines the correlation between these scores and between the resulting rankings. We applied this methodology to Italian universities. We found that a significant rank correlation between universities’ field specialization and their performance appears only in a few areas, and overall, the rankings are completely unrelated. Providing such data to research managers and policymakers can help inform strategies to enhance both micro- and macro-level efficiency

Business · Competitive advantage · Data science · Industrial organization · Knowledge management · Computer Science · Higher Education Governance and Development · Intellectual Capital and Performance Analysis · Marketing · scientometrics and bibliometrics research

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