Impacts of the Policy Turn: Changes of Academic Evaluation in Ecuador

• In Event: Evaluation of Academic Science and Scientists: Perspectives from Latin America

Abstract

The policy change of the Ecuadorian Policy of Science, Technology and Innovation took place under Rafael Correa’s government almost ten years ago. The new Constitution of 2008 opened a policy window (Kingdon, 2011) to modify the STI policy in the country, changing the governance of the Higher Education System. The autonomy of the university sector was vastly affected with the shutting down of its governing body (CONESUP). A new set of policy instruments and institutions were designed to rule the brand-new policy under the control of a State-led apparatus. For the first time the university system was evaluated and university categories were established (A, B, C, D and E). Of the 68 universities evaluated, 24 of category E had to be closed through legal action, a competence of the National Assembly (CONEA, 2009). Until November 2013, the CES approved the suspension of 125 technical institutes following the evaluation carried out by the CEAACES. It also transformed the allocation of State resources to public universities and implemented a formula of distribution of resources for performance that qualified the universities on the basis of the following indicators: Academia, equity and gender balance, and research and innovation. Ever since, academic performance has been measured by bibliometric indicators changing the dynamics of research within the Higher Education System. This paper deals with the impact of the policy turn on new forms of production of knowledge, and the researcher’s decisions and practices regarding a more metric-based evaluations of the STI policy in Ecuador.

Author

• María Belén Albornoz, FLACSO Latin American Social Studies Faculty