Relating Quality and Funding: The Romanian Case

Abstract

In the past two decades, a growing number of countries implemented non-traditional, innovative solutions to the considerable shortcomings and challenges they faced in fi nancing higher education (Salmi and Hauptman 2006 ) . Governments have used funding schemes for higher education institutions (HEIs) to reach specifi c policy objectives. Promoting equity in higher education, increased autonomy and accountability of HEIs or increased quality of university programmes are arguably examples of such objectives. At the same time, a funding scheme may also attempt to offer the actors in higher education (HEIs, students or teaching staff) both positive and negative incentives in order to eventually curb their behaviour. These fi nancial incentives may consist in general rules for funding universities, such as funding formulas or even more specifi c procedures. One may thus see certain relationships between higher education public funding and its outcomes.