Comparative Study on the Structure and Foundation of Research Universities in the US and Japan

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K02885
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 09050:Tertiary education-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo (2021-2023); Nagoya University (2019-2020)
• Principal Investigator: Asonuma Akihiro 東京大学, 大学院教育学研究科(教育学部), 教授 (80261759)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 研究大学 / 米国 / 組織的基盤 / 財務基盤 / 多様性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study analyzed the organizational and economic foundations of research universities in the United States. The results showed that most research universities are large comprehensive universities, that the composition of colleges and schools differs from that of non-research universities, that the schools and colleges are autonomous and decentralized, and that a matrix structure has developed to make both teaching and research more efficient. Regarding financial foundations, this study found that students, institutional income, endowment, and government subsidies are significantly skewed toward research universities, and that the average financial structure of research universities differs from that of other non-research universities. However, we also found that there is great diversity in the composition of financial resources among research universities and that research universities can be classified into several categories.

Free Research Field

高等教育論

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究大学に関する学術的な研究には、歴史研究や科学社会学的な評価システムの研究、政策科学的な研究などがなされてきたが、本研究では研究大学の組織的基盤や経済的基盤について、非研究大学との違いやその多様性に着目しながら明らかにした点、また研究大学の存立基盤の検討によって学問研究の社会的基盤の一端を明らかにした点に意義がある。また、政策的には、研究評価を厳しくし、重点投資すべき領域や機関を選定し、競争的環境を強化する傾向があるが、より長期的な観点から、研究大学には何が必要なのかを検討する材料を提供するという点で社会的意義がある。