Abstract
This thesis addresses significant gaps in our understanding of research funding systems by examining their causal effects on multiple dimensions of academic performance. Despite substantial global investment in research, existing literature lacks rigorous evidence on how funding mechanisms affect efficiency, provides limited integration of theoretical perspectives, and rarely examines multiple outcome domains simultaneously. Through four interconnected studies employing diverse methodological approaches, this research delivers novel causal evidence on the relationships between funding structures and university outcomes. The first study develops a comprehensive five-factor framework categorizing research funding factors (research fund, field-related, researcher, organizational, and collaboration attributes) through a systematic review of 65 peer-reviewed articles, integrating Resource-Based View, Knowledge- Based View, and Human Capital theories. The second study employs synthetic difference-in- differences and propensity score matching methods to analyze data from 98 UK and 116 US universities (2001-2021), demonstrating that the UK's Research Excellence Framework significantly increased research productivity in economics and business fields by 42% for publications and 46% for citations, with pronounced disparities between research-intensive and other institutions. The third study, using similar methodologies and datasets, reveals that performance-based funding increased female participation in collaborative research by 5.6 percentage points (0.49 standard deviations) and improved research impact, with stronger effects in research-intensive universities (10.3 versus 6.2 percentage points). The fourth study examines Scotland's 2008 transition to free tuition using data from 7 Scottish and 59 English universities (2005-2021), finding that this public funding reform enhanced university innovation through both increased research funding (0.45 standard deviations) and improved efficiency (0.29 standard deviations). Collectively, these findings advance theoretical understanding of funding mechanisms while providing evidence-based guidance for policymakers seeking to design funding systems that simultaneously promote research excellence, innovation capacity, and diversity in higher education. This thesis demonstrates that well-designed funding frameworks can effectively incentivize desired academic outcomes, though with significant heterogeneity across institutional contexts, challenging assumptions about necessary trade-offs between excellence and inclusivity in academic performance.Research funding efficiency, Performance-based research funding systems, Research Excellence Framework, University patents, Gender diversity in research, Causal inference, Research productivity, Innovation outputs
| Date of Award | 19 Jun 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Ali Onder (Supervisor), Sercan Ozcan (Supervisor) & Lester Hunt (Supervisor) |