INCHER seminar on June 10th, 2026 at 12:00 pm: "When Everyone’s a Winner: University Competition for Outputs-based Government Funding in South Africa"

Venue: INCHER meeting room 3rd floor

Dr. Francois van Schalkwyk is a senior research associate at the Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He is also a DISS Fellow at the Leibniz Center for Science and Society, University of Hannover and a fellow at CORD, Arizona State University. 

Abstract:

Competitive initiatives are designed to stimulate research productivity and excellence through competition. On the one hand, these competitions emphasize selectivity and excellence. On the other hand, political considerations — historical inequalities, regional distribution, and the need to sustain broad legitimacy in the academic community — mean that more universities “win” than a purely competitive logic would suggest. Thus, funding contests oscillate between producing visible winners and maintaining the impression that “everyone can win”. In South Africa, one form of government-sponsored competition links material (financial) rewards directly to the publications of academics in the public university system. This type of competition in which relatively significant financial resources are linked directly to publications is unique and therefore provides a special-case opportunity for empirical study. This paper explores the following questions: What is the nature of the competition evident in the research outputs policy in South Africa? And does it exhibit any unique or special features that advance our understanding of competition in higher education?

For participation via Zoom, please contact Ms. Blankennagel (kristina.blankennagel[at]uni-kassel[dot]de).