Kontakt: Ekaterina Trubnikova 

Projekt am Centre:

Between Nudging and Censorship: The Role of University Boards in Shaping Academic Freedom in Authoritarian and Democratic Contexts

It is generally accepted that signals within the academic world are produced through the interaction of multiple actors operating in a globally interconnected and academically autonomous environment. These signals—ranging from publication metrics and journal prestige to citation indices—are assumed to reflect the real achievements of a particular institution, journal, or individual researcher. The contemporary academic marketplace relies heavily on such measurable indicators to structure its hierarchies of prestige and reputation. This structure, in turn, directly and indirectly influences the state of academic freedom.

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate how incentive schemes developed within individual universities and approved by university boards influence not only the behavior of academic staff but also the broader structure of signaling within the academic market and the overall state of academic freedom. The design and implementation of internal incentive systems have implications extending far beyond national borders. The local governance practices that shape academic signaling in one country contribute, directly or indirectly, to the configuration of the global academic market, influencing not only how success is measured but also how academic value and academic freedom are defined.

Forschungsinteressen:

• Wissenschafts- und Bildungspolitik
• Akademische Freiheit
• Public-Choice-Theorie
• Autoritäre Regime