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Does Vertical University Stratification Foster or Hinder Academics’ Societal Engagement? Findings from Canada, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Russia

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Abstract

This article investigates whether the level of academics’ societal engagement (ASE) is higher or lower at universities with leading research university (LRU) status compared with institutions at lower status levels within vertically stratified systems. In a theory-based purposeful sampling, we studied the correlation of LRU-status and ASE in Canada and Germany (intra-academic competition-based status model) and Kazakhstan and Russia (state-assigned status model). In Canada and Germany, universities have self-organized LRU-status groupings, such as the U15. In Kazakhstan and Russia, the National Universities’ LRU-status was assigned by the state. In Russia and Germany, Excellence Initiatives blur status-assignation models. Survey data is provided by the cross-country study “Academic Profession in Knowledge Society (APIKS)”. We find that techno-commercial ASE is only positively correlated with LRU-status in countries with state-assigned status groupings. Dissemination ASE is not correlated to LRU-status. Negative correlations between dissemination ASE and LRU-status are found in Canada. The results show that societal recognition (captured by industry, ministry, etc. grants) and LRU-status run in parallel in Russia and in Kazakhstan. In comparison with Russia, societal recognition is a distinct mechanism in Germany, which is not triggered by LRU-status. In Canada, ASE is mainly correlated with individual (status) determinants.

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Acknowledgements

The research in this article was supported in Canada by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, in Germany by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Grant Number M522200), and in Russia by the framework of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and supported within the framework of a subsidy by the Russian Academic Excellence Project “5-100”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre for Higher Education Research, University of Kassel, Moenchebergstr. 17, 34109, Kassel, Germany

    Christian Schneijderberg & Nicolai Götze

  2. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S1V6

    Glen A. Jones & Grace Karram Stephenson

  3. Graduate School of Education, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Ave, Astana, 010000, Republic of Kazakhstan

    Darkhan Bilyalov

  4. Center for Institutional Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 11 Pokrovsky Bulvar, Pokrovka Complex, Moscow, Russia

    Anna Panova & Maria Yudkevich

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  1. Christian Schneijderberg
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Correspondence to Christian Schneijderberg.

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Schneijderberg, C., Götze, N., Jones, G.A. et al. Does Vertical University Stratification Foster or Hinder Academics’ Societal Engagement? Findings from Canada, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Russia. High Educ Policy 34, 66–87 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-020-00219-5

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