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Setting the Scene: Markets, Competition and Research Impact at the Margins

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Questioning the Assessment of Research Impact

Part of the book series: Palgrave Critical University Studies ((PCU))

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Abstract

This chapter introduces the increasingly pervasive notion of research impact, i.e. the influence of academic research on non-academic constituencies. It positions research impact within wider discourses of neoliberal higher education policy and practice. It suggests that research policy and studies of impact do not differentiate sufficiently between disciplines or areas of socio-economic activity, both of which potentially influence the non-academic impact of research. The chapter argues for greater scrutiny of the dynamics of research impact within what are presented as marginal fields of enquiry and marginal sectors of the economy. It concludes by outlining the structure of the book and its thesis.

If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would have said no, but increasingly I do think it matters. I do think we need to have more impact.

Research professor interviewed for this book

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

    Rhodri Thomas

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  1. Rhodri Thomas
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Correspondence to Rhodri Thomas .

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Thomas, R. (2018). Setting the Scene: Markets, Competition and Research Impact at the Margins. In: Questioning the Assessment of Research Impact. Palgrave Critical University Studies. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95723-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95723-4_1

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