Suchergebnisse

The results from the first foray into the research quality in Australia, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), were released in 2011. This article critically assesses the methodology of ERA and its application to the discipline of political science. It uses two other assessments of research quality in the discipline to confirm that the results for political science provide a credible result, as the rank order of departments is broadly compatible with these earlier exercises. The article then shows how the overall assessments for disciplines reflect the methodology employed, and that the average score for the discipline does not provide a credible benchmark against political science globally. While research funding decisions within disciplines are likely to be made according to within-discipline ranks, the use of descriptors relating the numerical score to 'world class' have undervalued the quality of the discipline relative to other disciplines and this risks affecting the perceptions of policymakers and impacting funding for the discipline as a whole. Adapted from the source document.

The increasing importance of globalization has made representation in international arenas more important. Yet key factors affecting associability of business and public interest groups at that level are markedly different from those which apply at the level of the nation-state. This article will argue that the "privileged position of business" does not obtain at the transnational level, and that business frequently prefers the national route. ngos, on the other hand, enjoy greater influence international than they do at the national level, essentially because of the ways in which they can assist international organizations to overcome their governance deficits. Examining sectors such as chemicals and biotechnology, this article explores the factors affecting associability at the international level and suggests some consequences which follow from these observations for the development of policy in international arenas.