Individual and Institutional Accountability: The Case of Research Assessment

Performance measurement is a particular type of accountability, which might be imposed by governments but is institutionally implemented and individually experienced. Over the last three decades, the emphasis on measuring the performance of publicly funded services has risen, along with concerns about the need to demonstrate a wise use of public funds. This paper examines the dynamic interaction of the institutional and individual levels of accountability, by focusing on research assessment systems. A study of three universities in different nations reveals that the perceived impacts of these systems relate to specific institutional contexts, but that individuals' views from within the same context also vary considerably. Professionals understand and interact with accountability systems in a manner that reflects their own values, and this ensures that they will interpret and react to them in different ways. This makes designing accountability systems without negative affects on individuals a difficult task.