Incentives to Research in European Public Universities

Abstract

In this paper we study the implementation of policy incentives aimed at increasing the research output at European public universities by university managers and public administrations. Although public universities are subject to significant management rigidities, we provide some interesting policies aimed at increasing their research output. We pay special attention to the principal agent problem between professors and university managers due to the career options that professors face outside the university.Efficiency, productivity, professors’ salaries, incentives to research, state and federal aid, resource allocation.