Beyond the badge of honour: the effect of the academic excellence initiative on staff recruitment in Italy.

Understanding how excellence-based funding affects academic recruitment is central to evaluating the broader implications of performance-oriented research policies. We study the Department of Excellence Initiative ("Dipartimenti di Eccellenza") in the Italian higher education system. Unlike other ex...

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Publicado en:Oxford Economic Papers Vol. 78; no. 2; pp. 309 - 335
Autores principales: Rizzo, Ugo, Rentocchini, Francesco, Seeber, Marco, Ramaciotti, Laura
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Apr2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Beyond the badge of honour: the effect of the academic excellence initiative on staff recruitment in Italy.
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          Rizzo, Ugo
          Rentocchini, Francesco
          Seeber, Marco
          Ramaciotti, Laura
        affil:
          Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Ferrara, via Macchiavelli 30, Ferrara 44121, Italy
          European Commission, JRC-Seville, EXPO 02/216 - C. Inca Garcilaso, 3, Sevilla 41092, SpainDepartment of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods (DEMM), University of Milan, via Conservatorio 7, Milan 20122, Italy
          Department of Political Science and Management, University of Agder, Universitetsveien 25 D, Kristiansand 4630, Norway
          Department of Economics and Management, University of Ferrara, via Voltapaletto 11, Ferrara 44121, Italy
      su:
        Italy
        Higher education
        Employee recruitment
        Academic departments
        Italian history
        Research funding
        University faculty
      sug:
        subj:
          Higher education
          Italy
          Human Resources Consulting Services
          Administration of Human Resource Programs (except Education, Public Health, and Veterans' Affairs Programs)
          Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
          Employee recruitment
          Academic departments
          Italian history
          Research funding
          University faculty
      keyword:
        copyrightHolder:Oxford University Press
        copyrightYear:2026
        excellence initiatives
        H52
        I23
        inLanguage:en
        O38
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpaf032
        second-tier departments
        staff recruitment
        university departments
        copyrightHolder:Oxford University Press
        copyrightYear:2026
        excellence initiatives
        H52
        I23
        inLanguage:en
        O38
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpaf032
        second-tier departments
        staff recruitment
        university departments
      ab: Understanding how excellence-based funding affects academic recruitment is central to evaluating the broader implications of performance-oriented research policies. We study the Department of Excellence Initiative ("Dipartimenti di Eccellenza") in the Italian higher education system. Unlike other excellence initiatives in Europe, this programme was directed at departments rather than universities. We investigate the effect of the initiative on new faculty positions, distinguishing between external recruitment and internal promotion, as well as different career stages. We also analyse heterogeneity across departmental categories, differentiating between first-tier (top-rated) and second-tier (near-elite) departments. Our findings indicate a positive effect on the creation of new faculty positions within funded departments, particularly through external recruitment and across various career stages. Notably, we provide evidence of greater benefits accruing to second-tier departments relative to their first-tier counterparts, particularly with respect to entry-level tenure-track positions.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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