The size of higher education, R&D expenditure, academic documents and international rankings

Abstract

This study explored the correlations among the number of higher education institutions, R&D expenditures, international academic publications, and international rankings in Taiwan on an annual basis. The case study is based on Taiwan's 1996 education reform policy, which allowed the establishment of new universities and colleges, followed by a decline in birth rates affecting the educational environment. The study covers the period from 1996 to 2023, spanning 28 years. Data were obtained from the Scientific Journal Rankings (SJR) by the Scimago Journal & Country Rank and statistics published by local authorities. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients revealed a significant relationship between the number of higher education institutions and improvements in international rankings, as evidenced by the increase in international academic publications. This finding underscores the crucial role of universities and colleges in enhancing international rankings and academic output. The strong positive correlation between R&D expenditure and academic output further emphasizes the importance of research funding. However, the regressive effect on the country's rankings suggests a need for more effective allocation of R&D funds. The Granger causality tests highlighted the bidirectional feedback between changes in academic production and international rankings. This finding underscores the dynamic nature of academic performance and rankings and the potential impact of R&D expenditure on these outcomes. This highlights the need for higher education institutions to strengthen industry-academia cooperation models, diversify their financial resources, and increase R&D investment. By optimizing the use of research personnel and expanding research departments, institutions can mitigate the negative impact of a declining number of institutions on academic performance.