Higher Education and Science System

One of the fundamental requirements of an efficient higher education system is the open access for suitable prospective students and that the study conditions enable students to successfully complete their studies. Against the backdrop of disruptions of the student labour market in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the high rate of inflation in recent years, discussions about the role of student funding in this context have intensified. In order to underpin these discussions with evidence, we are conducting studies on the situation and changes in the financing structure of various student groups. The associated effects on students' further academic success are another part of our research. This involves analysing how financing-related social inequalities develop and how this is influenced by state support systems. The extent to which financial conditions are linked to students' mental health is also being analysed. The analyses are being carried out in cooperation with the German Center for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW). The analyses are based on data collected by the DZHW in the form of student surveys (the “Sozialerhebungen” and the “Studierendenbefragung in Deutschland”). Among other things, these data were used to extrapolate student expenditures, taking inflation into account, from which important findings can be derived for the current debate about student funding.

The relevance of exchange relations between science and society as well as their diversity have become more and more visible in recent times. Building on the first two missions of teaching and research, a “third mission” of higher education institutions has emerged. This third mission encompasses activities in the areas of knowledge and technology transfer, further education and societal engagement. However, the forms in which and the reasons why scientists in Germany are active in this area are only partly known. For this reason, as part of a research project funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture, the Institute of Economic Policy surveyed all higher education institutions in Germany and the professors working there on precisely these topics. Based on the survey results, we analyse the extent to which exchange relations with society are part of the self-image of academics and the extent to which given framework conditions affect the attitudes of academics towards engaging in this area.

Asankulova, Z. & Thomsen, S. (2024). Studying Abroad Experience and the Wages of Females. Higher Education, 87, 401–431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01013-z.

Meier, D., Thomsen, S. & Wolf, F. (2024). BAföG: Wirkungsanalysen überfällig. Wirtschaftsdienst, 104(8), 555–561. https://doi.org/10.2478/wd-2024-0144.

Püttmann, V. & Thomsen, S. L. (2024). Academics’ Susceptibility to Disruptions of Their Research Productivity: Empirical Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Higher Education, Vorabveröffentlichung online. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01266-2.

Meier, D., Thomsen, S. & Kroher, M. (2023). Die Bedeutung der Inflation für die wirtschaftliche Situation von Studierenden in Deutschland im Zeitraum 2021 bis 2024: Eine Abschätzung. DZHW Brief 01|2023. Hannover: DZHW. https://doi.org/10.34878/2023.01.dzhw_brief.

Püttmann, V., Ruhose, J. & Thomsen, S. L. (2023). Academics’ Attitudes Toward Engaging in Public Discussions: Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Engagement Conditions. Research in Higher Education, 64(5), 765–788. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-022-09725-4.